The 2025 Components 1 World Drivers’ Championship will likely be determined at a now-traditional venue for the season finale, with this 12 months’s go to marking the 14th time the curtain has come down in Abu Dhabi. For the fifth time, the title continues to be up for grabs, whereas final 12 months it was the constructors’ championship that was on the road as Ferrari tried to usurp McLaren, with this week’s information to Yas Marina – Carlos Sainz – main the cost.
“Abu Dhabi, I feel for the reason that observe design change that noticed Flip 9 develop into an extended, quicker left-hander from the earlier three-part chicane and 90-degree left, I feel it has been a very good step ahead when it comes to racing. It makes the races a bit extra thrilling.
“I’m not going to lie, Abu Dhabi has by no means been one among our highlights of the 12 months when it comes to one lap to drive. It lacks a little bit of character, it lacks a little bit of excessive velocity, and it lacks a little bit of elevation change. However, having stated that, it is produced some thrilling races up to now. For the reason that observe design change, I feel it is improved.
“It is a tough problem to set the automotive up right here as a result of since Flip 2 and Flip 3 grew to become flat – they grew to become flat with the high-downforce automobiles in qualifying – it’s now primarily a straight between Flip 1 and Flip 5, and there is one other huge straight between Flip 5 and Flip 6, and one other huge straight between Flip 7 and Flip 9.
“So you could have Sector 1 and Sector 2 which might be just about extra of a straight line configuration setup that you really want and also you want effectivity from the automotive, however then you definately get into Flip 9, and from Flip 9 onwards it is all about downforce and mixed functionality of the automotive. So it’s totally completely different halves of the observe, and meaning it is all the time tough to arrange a automotive.
As soon as the solar units, Abu Dhabi generally is a entire completely different observe, Sainz says. Joe Portlock/Getty Pictures
“We race at sundown right here, beginning in daylight and ending below complete darkness, however I feel it is extra the change between FP1 to FP3 and FP2 to qualifying that’s extra noticeable than the change via the race itself.
Often as soon as we begin the race, the observe temperature drops possibly 5 levels (Celsius), which is a step, nevertheless it’s not big. However from FP1 to FP2 the observe may drop 15-20 levels, which is what actually impacts the automobiles. You are all the time taking part in guessing video games.
For me, the important thing half or nook on the observe now’s Flip 9, since they modified the design of that nook. The quantity of sliding and the setup that you’ve got via Flip 9 can dictate quite a bit in regards to the steadiness that you simply get within the final sector.
AT A GLANCE:
Race distance: 58 laps/190.3 miles
2024 pole time: 1m22.595s (Lando Norris, McLaren)
2024 winner: Lando Norris, McLaren
Pirelli is sticking with the standard choice of compounds for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, specifically the C3, C4 and C5. Traditionally, the Yas Marina observe sees graining on the tires, however as from final 12 months this phenomenon appears to be comparatively restricted and the better resistance of the present tires might scale back it to such an extent that even the Tender, normally solely utilized in qualifying, may very well be a tire round which to place collectively a race technique. At this observe, degradation is thermal in nature and is usually seen on the rears as a result of requirement for traction particularly within the closing sector of the observe.”
ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all instances ET):
Friday, December 5
4:25am – 5:30am – Free Observe 1, ESPN2
7:55am – 9:00am – Free Observe 2, ESPN-U
Saturday, December 6
5:25am – 6:30am – Free Observe 3, ESPN2
8:55am – 10:00am – Qualifying, ESPN2
Sunday, December 7
7:55am – 10:00am – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (58 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN
