Interesting facts about the Abu Dhabi GP
The school year of the 2017 Formula One Championship is rushing towards its end with today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite to the fact that the championship titles are already sealed, the unique and luxury environment of the Yas Marina race track provides a fascinating backdrop.
This Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the ninth edition. It first appeared on the calendar in 2009 and has been a fixture ever since. It was the first ever day-night race on the F1 calendar.
Tim Mayer, Enzo Spano and Emanuele Pirro are the race stewards for this season-ending race weekend. Pirro achieved a huge amount of success, most notably in sportscar racing, with five Le Mans wins, victory at the Daytona 24 Hours and two wins at the Sebring 12 Hours. Spano has been involved with the FIA and FIA Institute in various roles since 2001: a member of the World Motor Sport Council, the FIA Committee, and the executive committee of the FIA Institute. As the son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer, Tim Mayer grew up around motor sport. He organised IndyCar races internationally from 1992-98, aided the construction of several circuits, and produced international TV for multiple series.
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s dynamic and vibrant entertainment destination is home to a variety of world-class attractions and an ever growing calendar of exciting events. From the the state-of-the-art Yas Marina Circuit, the iconic Yas Viceroy hotel, to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi - the world’s largest indoor theme park, the exhilarating Yas Waterworld, Yas Links -Arabia’s only true links golf course, the laid-back Yas Beach, and the over 57 award-winning restaurants, cafes, lounges and bars, Yas Island offers a diverse range of experiences that create lasting memories.
The Yas peninsula has a very exciting amusement park, the Yas Waterworld which is home to 45 exciting rides, slides and attractions, each of which is based around the 'Legend of the Lost Pearl' that pays homage to the UAE's heritage of pearl diving.
One of Abu Dhabi’s iconic sight is Ferrari’s theme park. This was the world’s first Ferrari-branded theme park which houses a Ferrari store, rides, attractions and authentic Italian dining options.
Beneath its gigantic, iconic red roof it houses numerous high-adrenaline rides including the most dynamic roller coaster on the planet “Flying Aces”, featuring the tallest loop in the world; the world’s fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa, with a top speed of 250kmph in 4.9 seconds, family-friendly attractions, state-of-the-art simulators, electric-powered go-kartsand live shows. Open 365 days a year, at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi the fun never stops.
Pierre Gasly, Brendon Hartley, Lance Stroll and Stoffel Vandoorne all make their Yas Marina F1 debut this weekend. Stroll hasn’t raced at Yas but the others have all competed here in GP2. However, the Canadian completed a private test session a few years ago with Williams.
Pirelli brought their three softest compounds to Yas: the ultrasoft, the supersoft and the soft compound. The circuit is relatively smooth and gentle on rubber thanks to its asphalt layer which was shipped from England. Last year the top three all made two stops, though Max Verstappen finished in fourth place on a one-stop strategy
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been won three times from the pole position and three times from the second place. Kimi Räikkönen is the driver who won the race from the furthest back. The Finn managed to claim the victory starting from the fourth position in 2013.
28 different drivers have scored points in Abu Dhabi so far. Lewis Hamilton was the most successful in that regard with his tally of 142 points. He is followed by Sebastian Vettel who has collected 110 championship units. 11 of the current drivers have already finished in a point-scoring position so far.
