F1 Testing: Sainz out the blocks hot in Williams during Abu Dhabi test

The first half of the post-season test in Abu Dhabi has been completed. Some drivers have already been in action for their new teams on Tuesday morning. Several young drivers also tested in F1 cars. Read the full recap of the morning session below.

Carlos Sainz has already been in action for the Williams team. Yesterday was a filming day, and on Tuesday morning, too. The post-season test is all about Pirelli's tyres for 2025, with some notable drivers missing the event.

Esteban Ocon also made his first appearance for Haas. The Frenchman didn't compete for Alpine in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, opting to get straight to work with his new team. Yuki Tsunoda also drove the Red Bull for the first time after Honda's insistence.

These are all the drivers taking part in the Abu Dhabi test:

Red Bull Racing: Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda
McLaren: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Pato O'Ward
Mercedes: Kimi Antonelli and George Russell
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, Arthur Leclerc and Antonio Fuoco
Aston Martin: Jak Crawford and Felipe Drugovic
Alpine: Jack Doohan and Paul Aron
Haas: Esteban Ocon and Ryo Hirakawa
Racing Bulls: Ayumu Iwasa and Liam Lawson
Williams: Luke Browning and Carlos Sainz
Sauber: Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg

During the morning session, Carlos Sainz was fastest in his Williams, ahead of his old teammate Charles Leclerc in P2. Lando Norris occupied the third fastest time with his McLaren. For the afternoon session, several teams will change drivers.

This is the result of the morning test in Abu Dhabi:

This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon

Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels, too!

X | Instagram | Tiktok | YouTube