Lando Norris in golden crash helmet but car number one switch waits at Abu Dhabi test as new F1 champion returns to track
Two days after becoming world champion Lando Norris was back to work on track to round off 2025 running; Isack Hadjar in Red Bull and Arvid Lindblad in Racing Bulls as 2026 preparations begin; watch every round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, live on Sky Sports F1
Tuesday 9 December 2025 17:03, UK
Lando Norris returned to track for the first time as F1 world champion to round off his standout year on the final day of 2025 running for the grid at the post-season Abu Dhabi test.
Two days after becoming world champion by finishing third in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Norris - wearing a special gold crash helmet for the occasion - returned to his title-winning MCL39 at the Yas Marina Circuit as all 10 teams hit the track with two cars.
Norris was still running with his usual career-number four on his car's nosecone, with the number one that is reserved for the reigning world champion - which Norris confirmed to Sky Sports News on Monday he will use in 2026 - set to feature from pre-season testing at the end of January.
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Norris was one of the 14 current race drivers in action testing 2026 Pirelli tyres in modified 2025 mule cars ahead of F1's major rules overhaul for next year which features significant changes to chassis and aerodynamics, in addition to revised power units.
Norris ran in the morning before team-mate Oscar Piastri, who finished 13 points behind the Briton in the standings, taking over the car in the afternoon.
"It was great to get back out in our championship-winning car for one last time this year," said Norris, who completed 71 laps.
"We worked through the Pirelli testing programme well, giving them valuable feedback to help set us up as well as possible for 2026. Thank you to everyone for their work this year, now it's time for a rest before we go again."
2026 preparations begin on F1 2025's final day
All 10 teams had to use their two race cars at the single-day test.
One car has to be driven by an experienced driver for 2026 tyre duties, while the other one with fewer than three grands prix starts in designated young-driver running.
Underlining that preparations for 2026 have started already despite the old season barely having finished, Red Bull's two teams each ran their respective new drivers for next season on Tuesday.
Isack Hadjar was in the senior Red Bull car, with British teenager Arvid Lindblad in the Racing Bulls ahead of his maiden F1 campaign as an 18-year-old.
Like McLaren, Ferrari opted to split their 2026 tyre running between race drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with the latter having promised to "completely unplug from the matrix" over F1's short winter once his post-season duties are completed following his disappointing first campaign in red.
Leclerc completed the morning running before Hamilton took over, at a typically sun-kissed Yas Marina Circuit
Williams (Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz), Haas (Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman) and Sauber (Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto) also used both race drivers, while Kimi Antonelli was in the Mercedes mule car all day.
Former McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne conducted Pirelli duties for Aston Martin, where he is now a test and reserve. Jak Crawford returned to their other car with the American one of a number of young drivers on track who had also run in first F1 practice in Abu Dhabi last Friday.
Most of the modified 2025 challengers ran with a fixed speed limit of 300kph (186mph) to reduce downforce in order to collect more relevant data for next year. The cars equipped with experimental versions of next year's 'straight-line mode', which included Mercedes, on the front wing were allowed to run without speed limits.
Antonelli was the fastest of the race drivers on 2026 tyres, clocking a best time of 1:25.170 in the final hour as the sun set, on next year's C5 compound. Piastri was second fastest with Hamilton third, with Norris ending up fourth after his morning run.
Crawford was the fastest rookie on 2025 tyres thanks to a best lap of 1:23.766. Paul Aron was second for Sauber, a tenth behind, with Williams' Luke Browning third.
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