Evaluation: Ocon sets speed in publish-year Abu Dhabi check

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon topped the timesheets in F1’s publish-year check on the remaining working day of observe operating for 2023 in Abu Dhabi as George Russell’s car or truck failure brought about a large crash at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Subsequent the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, F1 groups stayed at the Yas Marina Circuit for a very last just one-working day check that showcased a merged Pirelli tyre and youthful driver check.

Alpine with the quickest lap

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished the working day with the quickest time on a 1m24.393s, practically 3-tenths quicker than his closest rival. The French driver was joined by Reserve Driver Jack Doohan on observe at Yas Marina Circuit for a comprehensive day’s check. The F2 driver, who received the Function Race on Sunday at Abu Dhabi, racked up a complete of 108 lap en route to the sixth quickest lap.

Commenting on his working day, Ocon explained: “The on-observe year has formally concluded with publish-race tests in this article in Abu Dhabi. We experienced a quite fast paced working day with an crucial and considerable programme to go as a result of. We finished up accomplishing in excess of two race distances and obtained as a result of our approach efficiently, tests distinctive compounds, gas hundreds and established-ups.

“It is generally pleasant to see your title subsequent to P1 but on check times these factors are irrelevant! We say goodbye to the A523 these days, a car or truck that introduced us some highs and lows this year but which has also served as a foundation to emphasise the spots we have to have to make improvements to in get to be far better in 2024. Now it is time for some relaxation just before beginning our preparations for subsequent year.”

Talking of his extended working day at the rear of the wheel of the Alpine, Doohan extra: “It’s been a terrific working day and it is generally pleasant to have a comprehensive day’s tests as there is that minor little bit much more liberty to discover the car or truck. Driving in Cost-free Observe one was an wonderful encounter very last 7 days but on check times, there is significantly much more to do and the programme is a full good deal even bigger and much more in depth.

“Right now we ran as a result of a fast paced checklist, assessed a variety of tyre compounds, gas hundreds and established-up things and we concluded 108 laps. I would say bodily which is a hard problem but I sense excellent and it is crucial for the workforce to have all the info. The car or truck felt excellent and I’m delighted that we executed our programme perfectly. I felt relaxed, joyful with the day’s operate and now it is time for a crack from driving just before we change concentrate to functioning on subsequent calendar year.”

Williams with 4 motorists

The Grove-dependent outfit was the only workforce to operate 4 motorists at the Yas Marina Circuit. Total-time motorists Logan Sargeant and Alexander Albon clocked a 1m25.263s and 1m27.824s respectively and racked up a complete of 107 laps.

Williams Younger Motorists Zak O’Sullivan and Franco Colapinto shared driving obligations in the other Williams FW45, ending in P17 and P22 respectively with equally motorists possessing applied Pirelli’s C5 compound on their fastest lap.

Commenting on his working day, O’Sullivan extra: It is been an fulfilling working day. Of training course, for me it was excellent to have the reference from FP1, so I experienced a handful of spots to operate on from there. Straight absent from the 1st press lap I was equipped to match my speed from before in the 7 days.

“It was excellent to get some good agent operating in also in very suitable ailments in the center of the working day which was pleasant. We obtained as a result of a excellent sweep of overall performance operates and race operates. I experienced much more liberty to experiment with factors and press a little bit more challenging than FP1. Many thanks yet again to Williams Racing for the possibility to generate the FW45 this weekend and supply me with useful encounter.

Talking about his quite 1st working day in a System one car or truck, Colapinto explained: It is been unbelievable to get my 1st style of a System one car or truck and to do it with Williams Racing. It is tricky to explain all the thoughts, sensations and emotions I have went as a result of these days. Because I was quite minor, I have been dreaming of this instant of just one working day leaping in a System one car or truck.

“Getting equipped to generate the FW45 was an wonderful encounter. It is been a terrific way to end my 1st calendar year as element of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. I experimented with to make the most of every single lap and find out as significantly as feasible. I’m quite grateful to every person just one at Williams Racing for offering me this possibility and the assist they’ve proven.

Ferrari with a very working day at Yas Marina

Driving obligations fell to the two race motorists, who each and every expended time at the wheel of just one of the SF-23s, when Robert Shwartzman experienced sole use of the other car or truck all working day as element of the Younger Driver Exam. Concerning the 3 of them they concluded 258 laps: 123 for Robert, sixty nine for Carlos Sainz in the early morning and sixty six for Charles Leclerc in the afternoon.

Sainz was the 1st to strike the observe, making an attempt 3 tyre compounds: the Spaniard started off off on the C2, just before shifting on to the C5 and lastly the C3. His greatest time was a good 1’24”769 on the C5, the softest compound and it was the fastest time up till the lunch crack. In the afternoon, it was Leclerc’ convert, operating the C5, C1 and C4, his greatest time becoming a 1’25”371.

Shwartzman was at the rear of the wheel of an SF-23 for the 3rd time this calendar year, possessing beforehand pushed it in cost-free exercise in Zandvoort and at Yas Marina very last Friday. He ran 3 compounds, the C4, C3 and C5, his particular greatest time becoming a 1’25”050. On the other hand, he experienced to abort what would have been his fastest lap when Ayumu Iwasa in the AlphaTauri induced a crimson flag. Total, just one SF-23 concluded a hundred twenty five laps and the other, 123, equal to two race distances each and every.

Shwartzman explained: “It was a fast paced working day with a good deal of operating, in the course of which we analyzed lots of factors, finishing a complete of 123 laps. Both equally the workforce and I are joyful with how it went and I genuinely savored driving a System one car or truck in excess of a comprehensive working day yet again. We did some race operates that permitted us to check out our speed with the tyre degradation and we certainly collected useful data.

“At the stop of the working day, we also did some overall performance operates. Sad to say, just one obtained interrupted by a crimson flag and the other just one by website traffic. The approach now is to go back again to Maranello for some simulator operate, support the engineers there just before getting a holiday break crack just after a extended year, so as to return new subsequent calendar year, which I’m genuinely on the lookout ahead to.

Pink Bull without the need of the 3-time winner

Selecting in opposition to collaborating in the tyre check, Pink Bull concluded the Pirelli check with Sergio Perez , when Oracle Pink Bull Racing Reserve Driver, Jake Dennis was in motion in the Younger Driver Exam. Concerning them they set in a merged complete of 241 laps as the double title successful RB19 took to the observe for the remaining time.

“It was a quite optimistic working day, there was continue to heaps to find out,” started off Perez. “It was crucial to set in the time, I drove much more than two times the race length these days and I am delighted with the operate we have accomplished.

“Specifically coming straight out of a race in this article, all the things is continue to tremendous new and the observe was quite agent, primarily in the afternoon, so it was a effective check. We gathered some excellent data for subsequent year and it is a terrific way to end these kinds of a dominant calendar year.”

Subsequent his operate in Cost-free Observe one, reigning System E winner Dennis was in the RB19 for the next time: “What an wonderful car or truck! It was a quite exclusive working day for me. In FP1 you form of just soar in and try out and endure, whilst these days you can press the restrictions a minor little bit much more and genuinely realize the car or truck.

“And I imagine we did just that. Concerning Checo and I, we obtained a good deal of info for the Staff. Naturally, my purpose these days was a minor little bit distinctive to Checo’s, but from my point of view we have obtained a good deal of info to just take back again to the simulator aspect and try out to make improvements to factors further more for the RB20 and in common growth. I savored every single lap out there, it is been a terrific working day.”

AlphaTauri with 3 motorists

AlphaTauri shared driving obligations among the 3 motorists. Race motorists Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda drove in the Tyre Exam when Ayumu Iwasa participated in the Younger Driver Exam.

The Australian driver applied the C3 compound on his fastest lap to established the twenty third quickest lap when his Japanese workforce-mate clocked the 13rd fastest lap on Pirelli’s C5 compound. F2 driver Iwasa applied the softest compound to end two destinations at the rear of Tsunoda just after placing his greatest time in the closing levels of the session.

Talking of his 1st working day in an F1 car or truck, Iwasa explained: “Thank you to every person from Pink Bull, Scuderia AlphaTauri, and Honda who manufactured these days feasible. It was genuinely wonderful and wonderful! The early morning programme was made for me to establish up the speed progressively and not press to the restrict straight away.

“In the afternoon, I was equipped to press much more when we started off placing on new sets of tyres. Sad to say, we experienced a car or truck concern just before the very last press lap of the working day that introduced it to an early end. We’re not accurately positive what it was nonetheless, so we’ll proceed investigating. I savored the working day, acquired a substantial sum of encounter, and learnt a good deal of factors about the car or truck, the observe, and from the workforce. I know what I learnt these days will support me a good deal in my long run racing.”

Aston Martin finish substantial mileage

Soon after a working day of tests in Yas Marina, Aston Martin’s comprehensive-time motorists Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll and Reserve Driver Felipe Drugovich clocked in in excess of two hundred merged laps in the AMR23, gathering a good deal of significant info to analyse.

Alfa Romeo labored with two motorists in the course of the working day. Zhou Guanyu and Theo Pourchaire concluded the working day, clocking in 106 and ninety six laps respectively. The Chinese driver applied the C4 compound en route to the twenty fourth fastest time when the freshly-crown F2 winner established the eleventh quickest lap with Pirelli’s softest compound.

Haas was the only workforce to finish the just one-working day check without the need of their race motorists. The American outfit ran with Oliver Bearman and Pietro Fittipaldi who concluded a complete of 240 laps.

McLaren with only two motorists

Subsequent the solid stop to their 2023 F1 year, McLaren resolved to finish the just one-working day check with two motorists. Oscar Piastri obtained at the rear of the wheel of the MCL60 to finish the Tyre Exam when Patricio O’Ward participated in the Younger Driver Exam.

The Australian posted a 1m25.930s to established the 18th fastest time, employing Pirelli’s softest compound. The Mexican concluded the working day next fastest with 103 laps concluded.

O’Ward commented: “I’m genuinely joyful with my working day on observe these days. I obtained to operate on a large array of spots with higher and reduced gas operates. It was terrific to finish heaps of laps on the distinctive tyres and it by no means stops to amaze me how able these equipment are.

“The car or truck is just wonderful and quite fulfilling to generate. Total, a genuinely optimistic working day in Abu Dhabi with the workforce. Thank you McLaren for the possibility. I’m on the lookout ahead to obtaining back again in the seat of an F1 car or truck yet again quickly.”

Mercedes endures complicated working day

Mercedes endured a complicated working day at Yas Marina Circuit as George Russell brought about the most noteworthy incident by crashing in Transform six 4 hrs into the session just after a suspected complex failure punted the Mercedes driver into the limitations. The incident pressured Russell to sit out the relaxation of the working day just after finishing fifty eight laps.

Mercedes junior and F2 runner-up Frederik Vesti took element in the Younger Driver Exam, finishing the prime 3 with a 1m24.679s just after 106 laps.

Vesti commented: “It was a genuinely exclusive working day for me. I obtained to press the W14 to its restrictions and enduring the car or truck equally on higher and reduced gas at the stop of the working day.

“The workforce has been unbelievable. I was also equipped to find out from George, on the lookout as a result of the info and possessing him subsequent to me in the garage. I enhanced continually as a result of the working day and it was terrific functioning with the engineers to support me do that. I am thrilled to get back again to Brackley now and proceed my mastering in the simulator and the correlation to this check that will be quite fascinating.”