The main focus was data collection and driver feedback, which Pirelli received in abundance following a smooth day, marked only by a brief red flag at the end of the session.
It was Charles Leclerc who rose to the top of the hierarchy in his Ferrari. The Monegasque, who will be supported by Lewis Hamilton in 2025, completed a whopping 134 laps with a best time of 1:23.510.
After discovering the Williams the day before during a promotional day, Leclerc's former teammate, Carlos Sainz, impressed. Dressed all in white, the Madrilenian covered 146 rotations on the FW46, finishing 125 thousandths behind the No. 16 driver.
Nico Hülkenberg also stood out for his return to Sauber. The ex-Haas driver finished 4th of the day behind George Russell (Mercedes), his future teammate Gabriel Bortoleto having discovered the joys of Formula 1 two days after his Formula 2 title.
Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, the very young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, set the 5th fastest time having only driven in the afternoon due to illness. Dismissed from Alpine before the Abu Dhabi GP, Esteban Ocon discovered the Haas team and finished 10th of the day.
Meanwhile, Red Bull have let Yuki Tsunoda take the wheel of the RB20, with the Japanese driver still officially on waivers against Liam Lawson to team up with Max Verstappen at Milton Keynes next year. Yuki, 17th, completed 127 laps and showed his potential to the Austrian team.
“The Red Bull suits my driving style and I didn’t have too much trouble adapting to it,” Tsunoda comments. “But it's a very different car to my Racing Bulls. We feel why she fought for the world titles this year.”
Expected to join Racing Bulls next year, Isack Hadjar, 15th, returned to the Red Bull after taking the wheel during EL1 in Abu Dhabi a few days earlier.
The teams will now draw a line under 2024 and focus all their attention towards 2025, with the next deadline scheduled in Bahrain with three days of winter testing from February 26 to 28. The season will begin with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.
