It's here: the final moment of the F1 2024 season. The post-season test in Abu Dhabi is set to start this Tuesday, bringing an end to a thrilling season. This test will provide us with some familiar faces in new settings, but also some brand new names that we might not be so familiar with.
Every year, after the conclusion of the regular F1 season, all the teams gather in Abu Dhabi for a special test for next season. The test is partially focused on getting a final bit of information for the teams, but it's also a special tyre test for Pirelli. That's why one of the cars from each team must be driven by a regular full-time driver, though it doesn't have to be someone who drove for the team in 2024. That's why many teams opt for an early taste of their 2025 driver in this test.
The other car has to be driven by a rookie, meaning someone with no more than 2 race starts to their name. That makes for a very exciting line-up of future talents and in some cases, people who we will guaranteed see on the grid in 2025. Let's look at who the teams drafted in for this final bit of F1 action of 2024.
McLaren
Regular driver: unconfirmed
Young driver: Pato O'Ward
McLaren has yet to confirm who will be the regular driver to perform the tyre test for Pirelli (my guess is it'll be which one of the two is least hungover). With Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both being confirmed for the long term at McLaren, it's honestly a coin flip who will do the test. It also means that there isn't much room for a rookie to come in and audition for a spot on the team. Matter of fact, for that very reason McLaren recently let Gabriel Bortoleto go to Sauber. Therefore McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward will drive as the rookie in the post-season test. O'Ward is the regular reserve driver for McLaren and also took part in one of the FP1 rookie sessions for the team.
Ferrari
Regular driver: Charles Leclerc
Young driver: Arthur Leclerc/Antonio Fuoco
Lewis Hamilton isn't yet allowed to wear the clothes of the Prancing Horse, so Charles Leclerc will take on the regular testing duties. Alongside him, he'll have two different drivers. His brother Arthur, who also drove FP1 at Abu Dhabi, will serve as one of the two rookie drivers in the other car. The other one will be Ferrari WEC driver Antonio Fuoco, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.
Arthur Leclerc (middle) drove FP1 in Abu Dhabi alongside his brother Charles.
Red Bull
Regular driver: Yuki Tsunoda
Young driver: Isack Hadjar
After what feels like a freaking eternity, Yuki Tsunoda is finally getting a serious shot at auditioning for Red Bull. The fact that Red Bull is having both Tsunoda and Liam Lawson out on track, should spell nothing short of disaster for Sergio Perez. The Mexican's time at the team seems to be coming to a swift end, and this is a pretty blatant attempt at letting Tsunoda and Lawson showcase their skills. Alongside Tsunoda will be Isack Hadjar, Red Bull's next driver waiting in the wings. Hadjar was a serious title contender in F2 this year and only lost it in the final race.
Mercedes
Regular driver: George Russell
Young driver: Andrea Kimi Antonelli
The choice was very simple for Mercedes: they just went with their 2025 line-up of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Let's just hope it goes better than when Antonelli drove in FP1 at Monza, when he was in the wall after just ten minutes.
It does mean that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix really was the final outing for Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes car. The Briton will depart the team after thirteen years and six titles together.
Lewis Hamilton saying a last goodbye to his Mercedes car, ahead of his move to Ferrari next year.
Aston Martin
Regular driver: Lance Stroll
Young driver: Felipe Drugovich/Jak Crawford
What to do when you have a Junior Academy that's really only there for show, since one of your cars will be occupied in perpetuity by the boss's son and the other one will be held by eternal rookie Fernando Alonso? I mean, that doesn't mean well for the two drivers in the junior academy. Who to pick from those two? Well, in the case of Aston Martin: both. Both 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich and current F2 driver Jak Crawford will take place in the Aston Martin during the rookie test this Tuesday. Lance Stroll will take on the tyre test.
Alpine
Regular driver: Jack Doohan
Young driver: Paul Aron
Leave it to Alpine to come up with something weird. After kicking Esteban Ocon out early because he wanted to do the post-season test for Haas, Alpine now decided to not go with Pierre Gasly as the regular driver either. Instead, they're choosing a duo that technically speaking counts as two rookies. Jack Doohan, who made a highly anonimous debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, will count as Alpine's "regular" driver this Tuesday, while Formula 2 title contender Paul Aron will take place in the other car as the rookie driver.
Haas
Regular driver: Esteban Ocon
Young driver: Ryo Hirakawa
Esteban Ocon's chance at driving the Haas in the post-season test was mired in controversy. The Alpine leadership pressured him into foregoing the final race of the season just so he could drive for Haas in this test. As heartbreaking as his unceremonious goodbye to the team was, it is good to see him at a different spot now that will most likely respect him more.
The other seat at Haas for this test is an interesting one. Obviously, they would have wanted to put Oliver Bearman in there as he's driving for the team in 2025. But because he's already done three races this year, he's no longer eligible as a rookie (you can do a maximum of two races for that). So they had to look elsewhere, which wasn't easy as Haas is the only team on the grid without a junior academy. They ended up with Toyota driver and multiple WEC champion Ryo Hirakawa, thanks to Haas' new technical and strategic partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Racing Bulls
Regular driver: Liam Lawson
Young driver: Ayumu Iwasa
The situation at Racing Bulls is very similar to the one at Red Bull. Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are both given a very clear shot at auditioning for the seat of Sergio Perez for next year, so this test will be crucial for both of them. Lawson's one-off teammate will be Ayumu Iwasa, repeating the line-up of FP1 in Abu Dhabi this year. Iwasa is driving in Super Formula and is looking for a chance at Formula 1, though he doesn't appear to be as high on the priority list as his rival Isack Hadjar, who will drive the Red Bull during the testing day.
Williams
Regular driver: Carlos Sainz
Young driver: Luke Browning
Carlos Sainz will be getting an early taste of the Williams machinery in the post-season test. Driving alongside him will not be his 2025 teammate Alex Albon, nor standout rookie Franco Colapinto, since neither one of them are eligible. Instead, Williams is going with future F2 driver Luke Browning from the Williams Academy.
Sauber
Regular driver: Nico Hulkenberg
Young driver: Gabriel Bortoleto
After finishing the 2024 season horribly last, with only one points scoring race to their name, Sauber will hope to solve for these issues for next year. One wonders what they can possibly still learn from the car that they haven't already learned throughout the season, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt.
To prepare for the season, Sauber has thrown their 2025 driver line-up in the car. Nico Hulkenberg will get the first tasting of the car from his new team, while newly-crowned F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto will perform the young driver test for Sauber.