French youngster Jean-Eric Vergne was quickest on the first day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi.

All twelve teams were in action today, two of them, McLaren fielding different drivers in the morning and afternoon sessions.

Between them, the 14 drivers on duty completed 894 laps (3085 miles), a number of them enjoying their first experience of F1.

With no on-track testing until February, once this session is over, the three day test here as a vital opportunity not only to assess young talent but try out and evaluate various elements aimed at the 2012 season.

Air and track temperatures were hotter than during the grand prix, hitting 32 degrees C and 45 degrees respectively, as testing takes place during the day, rather than in the afternoon and evening.

Once Vergne was up to speed with the RB7, the Austrian team concentrated on aerodynamic testing for 2012, before beginning a tyre test for Pirelli in the afternoon to evaluate prototypes for 2012.

"That was a fantastic day for me," said Vergne. "Driving the World Championship-winning car is just great and I liked every lap I did out there. Knowing there are two more days still to do, just makes me smile more. It's a great opportunity from Red Bull Racing; I'm trying to learn as much as possible and get as much as possible out of it."

While Vergne is driving all three days for Red Bull, Jules Bianchi will be Ferrari's sole representative. For the Maranello outfit, today's programme was focussed on two main elements: the first aimed at taking aerodynamic measurements, which also involved the use of devices fitted specifically for this task, while the second looked at finding the set-up on the car which best suited the Frenchman's driving style.

"It's great to be back at the wheel of a Ferrari on a real track," said Bianchi. "I've already driven this car for some aerodynamic testing, but doing it at a real test is a whole different story. Now, I am looking forward to a further two days of testing and we hope to carry on as we have started, with a lot of kilometres completed and trouble free running."

Canadian Robert Wickens impressed for Renault, the youngster finishing third fastest, albeit over 2s off Vergne's pace and 1s off Bianchi's.

"It's been a productive day," said Alan Permane. "We had a little bit of a slow start because we had a slight problem with the front suspension, but we quickly got over that and continued with the rest of the programme. The day has run pretty smoothly. It was more about mileage for our new parts rather than performance, so we are looking at the reliability and collecting some data on a few changes. Robert drove and worked well with the Engineers and he gave us good feedback."

"I'm pleased with what we achieved today," said Wickens. "I learned so much with everything, and Lotus Renault GP did an amazing job. The car really feels fantastic to drive. It has been fun and I can't thank Lotus Renault GP enough for the opportunity they gave me to drive for the team. I'm glad I was able to drive in a car that put me towards the top of the grid. I was hoping to be in the top three today and to be third is really good. Obviously you can always find ways to improve but I'm sure that will come. I was surprised how different the Pirelli Prototype 2012 was compared to the normal 2011 tyre - I did a long run at the end with heavy fuel and I was able to do a very consistent 20 lap run towards the end of the day on the soft tyre, which is a good sign for next year I think. It's the first time I've been able to do consistent, long runs and to really start understanding the tyres. I trained very hard all season, prepared for this young drivers test and I'm very proud of myself. I just wish I could stay a couple more days."

Fabio Leimer was on duty for Sauber, the 22-year-old Swiss getting his first experience of an F1 car. Having made himself familiar with the C30 he went on to complete 74 laps of the track on which he won the final GP2 race last weekend.

Gary Paffett was the quicker of the two McLaren drivers on duty, the Englishman completing 41 laps in the morning while Oliver Turvey completed 35 in the afternoon.

Turvey focussed on aero data gathering, and followed this by conducting work around the 2012 tyres. Paffett tested various systems on next year's car, including the new car radio. The successful day of testing concluded with operational background work; testing the equipment and processes in the garage for the MP4-27.