A mixture of 2025-specification Formula 1 cars and ‘mule’ chassis intended to mimic the new rules for 2026 shared the track on the final day of testing.

F1 teams divided their running between regular drivers in 2026 test hacks and young drivers in current cars. Five members of the latter group set the fastest times, headed by Jak Crawford for Aston Martin.

The 2026 mule cars fitted with the outgoing Drag Reduction System were limited to a maximum speed of 300kph. Those using next year’s ‘Straight Line Mode’ were not speed-limited and were able to lower their wings in designated SLM activation zones around the Yas Marina circuit.

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli was quickest of those in the 2026 development cars. He also covered the most laps of anyone over the nine hours of running. Antonelli completed 157 tours of the track, more than two-and-a-half 58-lap grand prix distances.

New world champion Lando Norris was among those in action, sporting the number four for the last time before he switches to the champion’s number one next year. He shared McLaren’s 2026 mule car with team mate Oscar Piastri.

The drivers ran Pirelli’s definitive range of new, smaller tyres for the 2026 season. “By using the same mule cars as during the development tests, with the same speed limits, teams were easily able to compare the data captured in Yas Marina with that from the individual test days over the last few months,” said Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola.

“For our engineers, this test was fundamental to confirm the performance gaps between the compounds and the degradation levels, which has been the focus of our work throughout the year. Analysing the new tyres, which have a smaller footprint against the surface, has also allowed us to check their exposure to graining and overheating: two effects that can potentially increase due to the smaller surface area.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

2025 end-of-season test times

Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Tyres
1 35 Jak Crawford* Aston Martin AMR25 1’23.766 C5
2 97 Paul Aron* Sauber C45 1’23.847 0.081 C5
3 46 Luke Browning* Williams FW47 1’23.920 0.154 C5
4 72 Frederik Vesti* Mercedes W16 1’24.568 0.802 C5
5 37 Ayumu Iwasa* Red Bull RB21 1’24.925 1.159 C5
6 12 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes W16 1’25.170 1.404 C5
7 89 Pato O’Ward* McLaren MCL39 1’25.418 1.652 C5
8 50 Ryo Hirakawa* Haas VF-25 1’25.463 1.697 C5
9 38 Dino Beganovic* Ferrari SF-25 1’25.720 1.954 C5
10 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL39 1’26.099 2.333 C5
11 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari SF-25 1’26.138 2.372 C5
12 4 Lando Norris McLaren MCL39 1’26.142 2.376 C5
13 23 Alexander Albon Williams FW47 1’26.289 2.523 C4
14 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-25 1’26.417 2.651 C5
15 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams FW47 1’26.454 2.688 C5
16 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 02 1’26.505 2.739 C5
17 41 Arvid Lindblad* Racing Bulls 02 1’26.519 2.753 C4
18 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber C45 1’26.767 3.001 C5
19 27 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber C45 1’27.004 3.238 C4
20 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine A525 1’27.433 3.667 C5
21 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull RB21 1’27.515 3.749 C5
22 62 Kush Maini* Alpine A525 1’27.544 3.778 C5
23 34 Stoffel Vandoorne Aston Martin AMR25 1’27.743 3.977 C4
24 87 Oliver Bearman Haas VF-25 1’27.827 4.061 C4
25 31 Esteban Ocon Haas VF-25 1’31.407 7.641 C2

*Young Drivers’ Test – 2025 car

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Gallery: Final F1 test of 2025

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles