diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/build.gradle b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/build.gradle
index dfd6095b2c217..51c4a0250a74d 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/build.gradle
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/build.gradle
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.Version
-import org.elasticsearch.gradle.VersionProperties
+import org.elasticsearch.gradle.util.GradleUtils
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.internal.info.BuildParams
 import org.elasticsearch.gradle.testclusters.StandaloneRestIntegTestTask
 
 apply plugin: 'elasticsearch.internal-java-rest-test'
+apply plugin: 'elasticsearch.internal-yaml-rest-test'
 apply plugin: 'elasticsearch.bwc-test'
 
 restResources {
@@ -21,15 +22,31 @@ dependencies {
   javaRestTestImplementation project(xpackModule('esql:qa:server'))
 }
 
+GradleUtils.extendSourceSet(project, "javaRestTest", "yamlRestTest")
+
 def supportedVersion = bwcVersion -> {
   // ESQL is available in 8.11 or later
   return bwcVersion.onOrAfter(Version.fromString("8.11.0"));
 }
 
 BuildParams.bwcVersions.withWireCompatible(supportedVersion) { bwcVersion, baseName ->
-  tasks.register(bwcTaskName(bwcVersion), StandaloneRestIntegTestTask) {
+  def javaRestTest = tasks.register("v${bwcVersion}#javaRestTest", StandaloneRestIntegTestTask) {
+    usesBwcDistribution(bwcVersion)
+    systemProperty("tests.old_cluster_version", bwcVersion)
+  }
+
+  def yamlRestTest = tasks.register("v${bwcVersion}#yamlRestTest", StandaloneRestIntegTestTask) {
     usesBwcDistribution(bwcVersion)
     systemProperty("tests.old_cluster_version", bwcVersion)
-    maxParallelForks = 1
+    testClassesDirs = sourceSets.yamlRestTest.output.classesDirs
+    classpath = sourceSets.yamlRestTest.runtimeClasspath
   }
+
+  tasks.register(bwcTaskName(bwcVersion)) {
+    dependsOn javaRestTest, yamlRestTest
+  }
+}
+
+tasks.named("yamlRestTest") {
+  enabled = false
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/Clusters.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/Clusters.java
index 578025be72314..8a55624ed3a6e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/Clusters.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/Clusters.java
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ public static ElasticsearchCluster mixedVersionCluster() {
             .setting("xpack.security.enabled", "false")
             .setting("xpack.license.self_generated.type", "trial")
             .setting("cluster.routing.rebalance.enable", "none") // disable relocation until we have retry in ESQL
-            .shared(true)
             .build();
     }
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/MixedClusterEsqlSpecIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/MixedClusterEsqlSpecIT.java
index 9b81c84e75a7a..880340f56ab48 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/MixedClusterEsqlSpecIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/MixedClusterEsqlSpecIT.java
@@ -7,10 +7,7 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.xpack.esql.qa.mixed;
 
-import com.carrotsearch.randomizedtesting.annotations.ThreadLeakFilters;
-
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
-import org.elasticsearch.test.TestClustersThreadFilter;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.cluster.ElasticsearchCluster;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.esql.qa.rest.EsqlSpecTestCase;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.ql.CsvSpecReader.CsvTestCase;
@@ -18,7 +15,6 @@
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.esql.CsvTestUtils.isEnabled;
 
-@ThreadLeakFilters(filters = TestClustersThreadFilter.class)
 public class MixedClusterEsqlSpecIT extends EsqlSpecTestCase {
     @ClassRule
     public static ElasticsearchCluster cluster = Clusters.mixedVersionCluster();
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/EsqlClientYamlIT.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/EsqlClientYamlIT.java
similarity index 87%
rename from x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/EsqlClientYamlIT.java
rename to x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/EsqlClientYamlIT.java
index 034460e48ece3..2c9833ba0793e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/javaRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/EsqlClientYamlIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/qa/server/mixed-cluster/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/esql/qa/mixed/EsqlClientYamlIT.java
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.xpack.esql.qa.mixed;
 
 import com.carrotsearch.randomizedtesting.annotations.ParametersFactory;
-import com.carrotsearch.randomizedtesting.annotations.ThreadLeakFilters;
 
-import org.elasticsearch.test.TestClustersThreadFilter;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.cluster.ElasticsearchCluster;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.ClientYamlTestCandidate;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.ESClientYamlSuiteTestCase;
@@ -19,7 +17,6 @@
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.ClassRule;
 
-@ThreadLeakFilters(filters = TestClustersThreadFilter.class)
 public class EsqlClientYamlIT extends ESClientYamlSuiteTestCase {
     @ClassRule
     public static ElasticsearchCluster cluster = Clusters.mixedVersionCluster();