YOUNG DRIVER TEST - ABU DHABI
Vesti’s final on-track highlight of the season unfolded on Tuesday at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. For the fourth time at this venue since 2022, he was entrusted by Mercedes-AMG F1 with a seat in the car for the annual Young Driver Test — a title that arguably undersells the level of experience on display, given that a significant portion of the current Formula 1 grid also takes part.
"The Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi was an absolutely unforgettable day for me. I was still supporting the race team back at Brackley late on Friday night before flying out to Abu Dhabi early Saturday morning. Sunday was spent fully immersed with the team, where we secured a hard-fought and well-deserved second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Achieving that result demanded relentless effort, focus and belief from everyone involved, so there was genuine satisfaction in finishing P2. On a personal level, being part of such a major championship outcome is incredibly special. But once Sunday was over, the thought that really excited me was knowing there were only two days to go before I’d be back behind the wheel.
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The focus of the test day was firmly on learning and progression — taking everything experienced over the Grand Prix weekend and translating it into concrete gains. The question was simple but critical: how do we make the car even stronger on race day? Vesti worked through five key test items, each aimed at extracting additional performance. All of these had been meticulously prepared in the simulator to ensure optimal correlation — aligning virtual results with real-world behaviour, a cornerstone of modern F1 development and something the team places enormous emphasis on.
Throughout the day, Vesti left a strong and consistent mark on the programme and emerged as the fastest driver on long-run pace.
"My entire run plan was dedicated to long runs, and I ended the day P4 overall. Given the nature of the programme, I’m genuinely pleased with that result. The three drivers ahead of me were all focused on short-run performance, chasing headline lap times, while my work was about consistency, degradation and data quality. I’ve rarely seen the team as happy as they were with my performance — and I felt proud too. Over the course of the day, I covered 750 kilometres and completed 145 laps, which is the longest distance I’ve ever driven in an F1 car. Unsurprisingly, that takes a serious physical toll. When you’re not in an F1 car on a daily basis, you’re always struck by the sheer forces involved — especially on the neck. But thanks to my intensive training programme, with outstanding support from my incredibly skilled coach Joshua Parr at Force & Grace, I arrived perfectly prepared. Completing the equivalent of two and a half Grands Prix without any issues is a huge credit to my physical performance team. The fatigue during the day? That’s simply part of the job at this level.
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"The experience I’ve built up over the past three years in the F1 car is something I can feel immediately now. The moment I jump in, I’m straight on the pace — and the data backs that up. The adaptation phase I needed in the past has completely disappeared. Of course, it’s still a car I don’t drive regularly, and there’s always more to learn, but I’m progressing every time. My target is to deliver from lap one, every single time. That’s exactly what I did in Abu Dhabi — and that feeling is incredibly rewarding.
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"A huge thank you once again to Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin and to Mercedes-AMG F1 for the continued trust. Every opportunity you give me, I approach with the clear objective of delivering maximum performance and high-quality data. At the same time, I can genuinely feel myself moving closer to a permanent seat in Formula 1.
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"Before the Christmas break, the final step is to complete the last simulator sessions of the year, fully focused on the 2026 regulations. It’s an incredibly exciting chapter that lies ahead.
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