The final track day to close the 2024 Formula 1 season took place today in Abu Dhabi. The Yas Marina circuit hosted the usual end-of-season testing, which has taken place for several years after the last Grand Prix.
All ten teams took part, each with two cars, working on different fronts. One car from each team was to be driven by a “rookie driver” defined by the FIA as having competed in no more than two Grands Prix, while the drivers of the other car were free of any restrictions and, in effect, some drivers were already working with their new teams for next year.
The tires available for these two groups were also different and, while the newbies used the same 2024 compounds available for last weekend's Grand Prix, in the other cars those driving were able to evaluate the homologated compounds as Pirelli will supply them next season, having developed them in collaboration with the teams over the past year. The only one missing was the hard C1 tire, as it is not suitable for this track.
Each young driver had eight sets of tires at his disposal: two C3s, four C4s and two C5s. The other drivers had ten sets: one C2, three C3 and C4, two C5 and one C6, the latter being the new ultra-soft compound which has been added to the 2025 range and which should be used on certain urban circuits.
Unlike the “in-competition test” carried out during the Mexico Grand Prix weekend, Pirelli did not establish a standard program for the use of the 2025 tires, leaving teams free to operate them as they wished, in order to collect vital data for the development of next year's cars. Finally, as decreed by the FIA, no car was allowed to carry experimental components, which had not already been used during a race weekend.
The tests were very busy during eight hours of driving. In total, 2,578 laps were completed, or 13,614 kilometers. All types of rubber and tires were used: some teams even used wet or intermediate tires for their installation laps and to carry out aerodynamic measurements, which are usually carried out at the start of the day.
In the general classification, Charles Leclerc achieved the best time with his Ferrari in 1'23”510. Second place went to Williams new recruit Carlos Sainz (1'23”635) while George Russell finished third for Mercedes in 1'23”789. While the former Ferrari teammates set their best times with the C5 rubber, Russell achieved his with the C6. Among the rookies, the fastest was the Italian Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) with a time of 1'23”873. The three drivers who completed the most laps were Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls, 159), Carlos Sainz (Williams, 146) and Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin, 146).
“It was a very useful test, which allowed us to see in action the entire new range of compounds approved for next season, with the exception of C1,” commented Mario Isola, director of Pirelli Motorsport.
“The track conditions were very good, very similar to those encountered last Sunday during the last Grand Prix and with temperatures not too different. We collected a lot of data which will now be analyzed very carefully by our engineers and those of the teams to continue to prepare as carefully as possible for next season.”
“From a first preliminary analysis, we can say that the new compounds have proven to offer greater mechanical resistance, which therefore leads to a reduction in the level of abrasion on the tread.”
“As for overheating, we knew it would be difficult to see significant improvements as we rode almost entirely in bright sunshine, unlike the race weekend.”
“Another important topic was to check the positioning of the compounds within the 2025 range: from what we saw today we can say that the difference in performance between C2, C3, C4 and C5 is more consistent with our objectives, namely to have a gap of around half a second between each of them.”
“As for the brand new C6 rubber, we noted on this circuit, with its very demanding final section, particularly in terms of traction, that the degradation even on a first flying lap is quite pronounced. We will now carry out a careful analysis data to identify the tracks best suited to its possible use during a race weekend. Monaco, Montreal, Singapore and Las Vegas are the a priori targets.
The 2024 season therefore ends, and the Pirelli team will return to the track at the end of January at Magny Cours for the first test session of the year, to work on the development of the 2026 tires.
