Abu Dhabi: The Pilots’ Perspective

According to Sebastian Vettel himself, who received his first laurels there in 2010, in only three years, the [Abu Dhabi] race has established itself as one of the highlights of the season: Starting at twilight and finishing at nightfall is something unique and impressive. […] The circuit itself is impressive: 5.5 kilometers long with wide run-off areas and a pit exit that goes through a tunnel. Heikki Kovalainen agrees with the double German champion: Abu Dhabi is a circuit where, I think, everyone looks forward to returning. Overall, it’s about the best place for Formula 1 with some of the best facilities for the teams that we see all year, a track that offers good technical challenges, and almost perfect weather.

Above all, most drivers indeed highlight the spectacular aspect of the Yas Marina circuit, notably thanks to its world-class facilities according to Mark Webber. Abu Dhabi is one of the races I look forward to. The facilities are cutting-edge, very modern, and very attractive, adds Michael Schumacher, while according to Nico Rosberg, the Abu Dhabi race is one of the highlights of the calendar, and each year it seems to get better and better. For his part, Lewis Hamilton shares the opinion of his teammates: The facilities in Abu Dhabi are absolutely fantastic: probably the best of all the circuits in the world.

But beyond the five-star facilities, it is above all the conditions in which the race is contested that bring its unique flavor to the Emirati event: “I find the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix very exciting because it is the only race of the season to take place at twilight,” says Kamui Kobayashi. “It’s very special to start in daylight and then transition into the night. It creates a truly unique atmosphere that I love.” Michael Schumacher agrees with the Japanese driver’s comments, affirming that “the timing of the race makes the circuit even more appealing”: “It’s something quite special and a unique pleasure to race during twilight.” Thus, like Singapore, the only other night race on the calendar, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is one of the most telegenic: “The race has a great atmosphere and it looks good on television, for the fans at home. It’s a phenomenal spectacle and I’m excited to race there,” notes Mark Webber. Romain Grosjean, who will be competing in his first full Formula 1 Grand Prix there, also mentions that “the circuit looks very beautiful on TV.”

The fact that it takes place “entre chien et loup” makes the race special, according to Timo Glock: « It’s something different and very impressive to be on the circuit when the light changes and the track is completely lit up at the end. » However, the change in light will not be the only factor to contend with, as track conditions evolve accordingly, as Vitaly Petrov points out: « Free Practice 1 and 3 take place when the track reaches its highest temperatures, but Free Practice 2, qualifying, and the race occur in the late afternoon and early evening, when temperatures drop but the grip level continues to rise, so we will be paying close attention to how the tires degrade as conditions change. »

As in the last two races, the drivers will also have to consider the dust that can settle on the track. While Kamui Kobayashi believes it’s important to keep in mind that there is no GP2 running this year between sessions, which means the track can be quite dusty each time a session starts, Romain Grosjean reminds that there is a V8 Supercars race as a support event and that could clean the track. I hope there will be a bit more grip than in India because most of the time, I like to brake late. And when there’s no grip, it’s more difficult! Moreover, according to Nico Rosberg, with these conditions, the work on the tires will be crucial again this weekend.

But those are not the only challenges that the Yas Marina circuit holds: « I know the track from doing tests there with Pirelli even though I have never participated in a Grand Prix there, and it is a very beautiful circuit, especially at night. It is a track where braking, top speed, and grip are essential, and it is very smooth so you can be aggressive with the ride height and bring a very low car, » explains Pedro de la Rosa even if the organizers have decided to raise some curbs to discourage drivers from using them too much.

Ninth at the finish in 2011, Paul di Resta believes that it is a very technical circuit with many tight low-speed corners that require a very precise car: There are very few high-speed sections, aside from the esses after turn 1, but they are more or less taken flat out anyway. There are definitely some similarities with Singapore in terms of the number of low-speed corners. Thus, for this reason, Mark Webber emphasizes that good traction is needed.

At Caterham, while Vitaly Petrov believes that the track itself offers a relatively good challenge where the most important thing will be to work on braking stability, adding that one can gain a lot of time if really attacking the braking zones, particularly at turn 8 and 11, after the two long straights, Heikki Kovalainen takes us for an onboard lap: The first sector is quite fast. If you’re not far from turn 1, you can see how quickly an F1 car changes direction to enter the corner and from there it’s almost flat out through turns 2 and 3. After that, it’s more an acceleration/braking circuit until turn 8 where there is the first real overtaking opportunity. Afterwards, it’s again a flat-out section until turn 11 and then it almost turns into a street circuit in the last sector. I’m sure that for people watching from the hotel it looks hardcore, but in the car, it’s not very difficult. Good traction is needed and braking stability must be perfect.

Always lively on the Yas Marina circuit, Lewis Hamilton believes that it is a circuit where you can push the car, which he appreciates the most. And the 2008 world champion added: There is a great variety of corners—I love the fast sequences of the first sector—and it’s incredibly satisfying to put everything together in the Marina sector. A good mechanical balance makes all the difference here because you’re constantly changing direction. For his part, Charles Pic loves driving on the Emirati circuit: It is a technically complicated track and there is also the heat and the direction of the track [which runs counter-clockwise, ed.], but by the time we start the race, we will have gotten used to it.

Technical and spectacular, the Yas Marina circuit often offers little excitement for drivers and especially little on-track spectacle for spectators and viewers worldwide. While Jenson Button believes it will be relatively difficult to overtake here, even with DRS, Kimi Räikkönen agrees with the Briton, even though he has only raced once in Abu Dhabi, during his last outing in a Ferrari before turning to rallying: The circuit’s layout makes overtaking really complicated, and there are hardly any places to do it. It’s essential to qualify well to leave with a good result.

However, for some, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will have a special flavor, even a home race feel, starting with Ferrari: “It’s sort of like a second home race for Ferrari since we have the superb theme park [Ferrari World, ed.],” explained Felipe Massa in India. Meanwhile, Narain Karthikeyan hopes to rely on the support of the significant Indian community in the Emirate: “The circuit looks fantastic, and there will be many Indian fans to cheer for me, which is always a great help.” Vitaly Petrov also expects “solid support from Russian fans around the circuit,” while Heikki Kovalainen will happily return to a country he frequents more and more: “Since my fiancée’s parents now live in Abu Dhabi, we spent a lot of time there this weekend. If it’s a great place to race, it’s also excellent for passing the time between Grand Prix. The weather makes training easy, and there are a few good golf courses where I can improve my handicap, so it’s a place I really enjoy visiting.”

But the last word goes to Pastor Maldonado: « Although the circuit is reasonably new, Abu Dhabi has become one of my favorites because the city is spectacular and the people are always very friendly. The race offers unique challenges because we start it under the intense heat of the day, but then the sun sets and the temperatures drop rapidly. Therefore, we have to find the right settings that suit these different conditions. The track also changes a lot each day and there’s quite a bit of sand on the surface, which we have to deal with. »