Yas Marina Circuit

The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke,[2][3] and is situated on Yas Island, about 30 minutes from the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi. Yas Marina is the second Formula One track in the Middle East, with the first being in Bahrain. A two-day GP2 Asia Series test was held to officially open the circuit, which was held a week before the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[4] It also hosted the opening event for the Australian V8 Supercars series, the Yas V8 400, in February 2010.[5][6] Outside motorsport the circuit was used for the final stage of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour cycle race in 2015.[7] The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license.[8]

Yas Marina Circuit
Yas Marina Circuit
LocationYas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Time zoneGMT +4
Coordinates24°28′2″N 54°36′11″E
Capacity60,000
FIA Grade1
OwnerGovernment of Abu Dhabi
OperatorAbu Dhabi Motorsports Management
Broke groundMay 2007
OpenedOctober 2009
Construction cost£800 million[1]
$1.322 billion
€893 million
AED 3.792 billion
ArchitectHermann Tilke
Major eventsFormula One
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (2009–)
GP2 Asia Series, V8 Supercars, Drag Racing, GT1 World, Gulf 12 Hours, World Triathlon Series
Grand Prix Circuit
Length5.554 km (3.451 mi)
Turns21
Race lap record1:39.283 ( Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2019)
Short Circuit
Length4.700 km (2.920 mi)
Turns19
Race lap record1:37.656 ( Charles Pic, Addax Team, 2011, GP2 Asia)
Websitewww.yasmarinacircuit.ae

Design
A satellite image of the circuit, as it appeared in 2018

The twenty-one corners twist through Yas Island off the Abu Dhabi coast,[9] passing by the marina and through the Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi designed by New York-based architects Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote Architecture with a striking facade lighting design by Rogier van der Heide, and winding its way through several long straights and tight corners.

The marina-based development includes a theme park, a water park, as well as residential areas, hotels and beaches.

The circuit has five grandstand areas (Main Grandstand, West Grandstand, North Grandstand, South Grandstand and Marina Grandstand (aka Support)) and part of its pit lane exit runs underneath the track. It also houses a team building behind the pit building, Media Center, Dragster Track and VIP Tower.[10] Additionally, one of the run-off areas runs underneath the West grandstand.

  • Seating Capacity – 60.000
  • Area – 161.9 ha
  • Length – 5.5 km
  • Longest straight – 1.14 km (1,246.72 yd)
  • Elevation change – 10.7 m

Construction

The circuit was built by main contractor Cebarco-WCT WLL, under contract from developer Aldar Properties. Among the sub-contractors involved were KOH AH HING (KAHBINA) from Malaysia (structural contractor), as well as specialised subcontractors like Voltas (MEP), PKE-Siemens (MEP), Able-Middle East (earthworks), Hamilton International (interior) and Bau Bickhardt (track) to name a few.

The circuit was constructed with a permanent lighting system provided by Musco Lighting, similar to that also installed at the Losail Circuit in Qatar. Yas Marina Circuit is the largest permanent sports venue lighting project in the world; previously that title was held by Losail.

The surface of the track is made of graywacke aggregate, shipped to Abu Dhabi from a Bayston Hill quarry in Shropshire, England. The surface material is highly acclaimed by circuit bosses and Formula One drivers for the high level of grip it offers. The same aggregate material is used at the Bahrain International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix.[11]

On 7 October 2009, the circuit was granted final approval to hold Formula One races by the FIA.[12] Bruno Senna was the first driver to complete a test run on the circuit.

GP3 visited Abu Dhabi for the first time at the end of the 2013 season.[13]

Reception

After the first practice sessions at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the circuit was welcomed by the drivers, with Nico Rosberg commenting that every corner was 'unique',[14] while double World Champion Fernando Alonso echoed his sentiments, stating that it was enjoyable because there was always something to do. Force India's Adrian Sutil rated the circuit as being better than Formula One's other night race in Singapore as he felt there was too much light at Marina Bay.

Not all of the drivers were complimentary, with Giancarlo Fisichella expressing a particular dislike of the pit exit, which dips under the main circuit by way of a tunnel. Although the pit exit remained free of incidents for the early practice sessions, Fisichella claimed that it was both very difficult and dangerous.[14] Kimi Räikkönen notoriously gave his thoughts on the circuit, stating "the first few turns are quite good, but the rest of it is shit".[15]

After the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the designer Hermann Tilke said that they were considering making changes to the track to present more overtaking opportunities.[16]

  • Turn 7
  • The main straight

See also

References
  1. "Yas Marina aiming for an 'excellent event'". PlanetF1.com. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009.
  2. "Tilke GmbH – Projects – Category". tilke-ac.de. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  3. "Yas Marina Circuit construction progressing". gulfnews.com. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  4. "GP2 race will officially open Yas Marina Circuit". Gulf News. Al Nisr Publishing. 12 August 2009. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  5. "Motorsport: Middle Eastern double-header for V8 Supercars". nzherald.co.nz. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  6. "Abu Dhabi start confirmed". v8supercars.com.au. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  7. "Chaves wins inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour". cyclingnews.com. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  8. "LIST OF FIA LICENSED CIRCUITS" (PDF). FIA. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  9. "Motorsport: Abu Dhabi debut marks F1 driver shake-up". nzherald.co.nz. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  10. "Abu Dhabi breaks cover". Autosport. 194 (4): 10. October 2008.
  11. "BBC: Shropshire's Formula 1 Connection". British Broadcasting Corporation. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  12. Noble, Jonathan (9 October 2009). "Abu Dhabi track gets final FIA approval". Autosport. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  13. "Yas Marina chief Richard Cregan expects 'quality' weekend for 2013 Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix - The National". thenational.ae. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  14. Jonathan Noble and Jamie O'Leary (30 October 2009). "Drivers praise Abu Dhabi circuit". Autosport.com. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  15. "Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - prologue". motorsportmagazine.com. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  16. "Abu Dhabi GP F1 track could be changed to improve overtaking". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
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