diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/BlockHashTestCase.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/BlockHashTestCase.java
index 41d29e846c2e3..fa93c0aa1c375 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/BlockHashTestCase.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/BlockHashTestCase.java
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 public abstract class BlockHashTestCase extends ESTestCase {
 
-    final CircuitBreaker breaker = new MockBigArrays.LimitedBreaker("esql-test-breaker", ByteSizeValue.ofGb(1));
+    final CircuitBreaker breaker = newLimitedBreaker(ByteSizeValue.ofGb(1));
     final BigArrays bigArrays = new MockBigArrays(PageCacheRecycler.NON_RECYCLING_INSTANCE, mockBreakerService(breaker));
     final MockBlockFactory blockFactory = new MockBlockFactory(breaker, bigArrays);
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/CategorizeBlockHashTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/CategorizeBlockHashTests.java
index 5c711fa81bd6a..70c9c36527fb3 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/CategorizeBlockHashTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/esql/compute/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/compute/aggregation/blockhash/CategorizeBlockHashTests.java
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ public void testCategorizeRaw() {
             hash.add(page, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
                 @Override
                 public void add(int positionOffset, IntBlock groupIds) {
-                    groupIds.incRef();
                     assertEquals(groupIds.getPositionCount(), positions);
 
                     assertEquals(0, groupIds.getInt(0));
@@ -123,15 +122,16 @@ public void testCategorizeIntermediate() {
             page2 = new Page(builder.build());
         }
 
+        Page intermediatePage1, intermediatePage2;
+
+        // Fill intermediatePages with the intermediate state from the raw hashes
         try (
             BlockHash rawHash1 = new CategorizeRawBlockHash(0, blockFactory, true);
-            BlockHash rawHash2 = new CategorizeRawBlockHash(0, blockFactory, true);
-            BlockHash intermediateHash = new CategorizedIntermediateBlockHash(0, blockFactory, true)
+            BlockHash rawHash2 = new CategorizeRawBlockHash(0, blockFactory, true)
         ) {
             rawHash1.add(page1, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
                 @Override
                 public void add(int positionOffset, IntBlock groupIds) {
-                    groupIds.incRef();
                     assertEquals(groupIds.getPositionCount(), positions1);
                     assertEquals(0, groupIds.getInt(0));
                     assertEquals(1, groupIds.getInt(1));
@@ -152,16 +152,17 @@ public void close() {
                     fail("hashes should not close AddInput");
                 }
             });
+            intermediatePage1 = new Page(rawHash1.getKeys()[0]);
 
-            Page intermediatePage1 = new Page(rawHash1.getKeys()[0]);
-            intermediateHash.add(intermediatePage1, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
+            rawHash2.add(page2, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
                 @Override
                 public void add(int positionOffset, IntBlock groupIds) {
-                    Set<Integer> values = IntStream.range(0, groupIds.getPositionCount())
-                        .map(groupIds::getInt)
-                        .boxed()
-                        .collect(Collectors.toSet());
-                    assertEquals(values, Set.of(0, 1));
+                    assertEquals(groupIds.getPositionCount(), positions2);
+                    assertEquals(0, groupIds.getInt(0));
+                    assertEquals(1, groupIds.getInt(1));
+                    assertEquals(0, groupIds.getInt(2));
+                    assertEquals(1, groupIds.getInt(3));
+                    assertEquals(2, groupIds.getInt(4));
                 }
 
                 @Override
@@ -174,18 +175,23 @@ public void close() {
                     fail("hashes should not close AddInput");
                 }
             });
-            intermediatePage1.releaseBlocks();
+            intermediatePage2 = new Page(rawHash2.getKeys()[0]);
+        } finally {
+            page1.releaseBlocks();
+            page2.releaseBlocks();
+        }
 
-            rawHash2.add(page2, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
+        try (
+            BlockHash intermediateHash = new CategorizedIntermediateBlockHash(0, blockFactory, true)
+        ) {
+            intermediateHash.add(intermediatePage1, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
                 @Override
                 public void add(int positionOffset, IntBlock groupIds) {
-                    groupIds.incRef();
-                    assertEquals(groupIds.getPositionCount(), positions2);
-                    assertEquals(0, groupIds.getInt(0));
-                    assertEquals(1, groupIds.getInt(1));
-                    assertEquals(0, groupIds.getInt(2));
-                    assertEquals(1, groupIds.getInt(3));
-                    assertEquals(2, groupIds.getInt(4));
+                    Set<Integer> values = IntStream.range(0, groupIds.getPositionCount())
+                        .map(groupIds::getInt)
+                        .boxed()
+                        .collect(Collectors.toSet());
+                    assertEquals(values, Set.of(0, 1));
                 }
 
                 @Override
@@ -199,7 +205,7 @@ public void close() {
                 }
             });
 
-            intermediateHash.add(new Page(rawHash2.getKeys()[0]), new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
+            intermediateHash.add(intermediatePage2, new GroupingAggregatorFunction.AddInput() {
                 @Override
                 public void add(int positionOffset, IntBlock groupIds) {
                     Set<Integer> values = IntStream.range(0, groupIds.getPositionCount())
@@ -222,8 +228,8 @@ public void close() {
                 }
             });
         } finally {
-            page1.releaseBlocks();
-            page2.releaseBlocks();
+            intermediatePage1.releaseBlocks();
+            intermediatePage2.releaseBlocks();
         }
     }