Hulkenberg marked his return to Sauber in fourth place, ahead of Antonelli and RB tester Ayumu Iwasa, who spent 2024 competing in Super Formula, while McLaren reserve Pato O’Ward, of IndyCar fame, edged out the newly promoted Alpine driver Jack Doohan to seventh position.
F2’s Aron was just a few thousandths behind Doohan in ninth thanks to a composed rookie display, with former Alpine driver Ocon, Williams youngster Luke Browning and Toyota-backed Haas test driver Ryo Hirakawa , occupying positions 10 to 12 in the time table.
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Liam Lawson was the busiest driver of the day, amassing a whopping 159 laps in place, which was close to three race distances – the New Zealander placed 13th, ahead of Ferrari’s development driver, Arthur Leclerc, and Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix winner Lando Norris placed 16th after his morning run in the car, three positions ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, who took over in the afternoon, with Tsunoda and Bortoleto among them after his first races for Red Bull and Sauber.
Jak Crawford, part of Aston Martin’s development programme, increased his F1 mileage in 20th place, ahead of team reserve Felipe Drugovich, Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti and Ferrari development driver Antonio Fuoco ; These last two also drove only in the morning.