The 2025 F1 World Drivers’ Championship will now be determined on the conventional last venue of the season, with this yr’s go to marking the 14th time it should conclude in Abu Dhabi. A fifth title continues to be within the hunt, however final yr the constructors’ championship was on the road as Ferrari tried to usurp McLaren, however here is this week’s information to Yas Marina – Carlos Sainz – Lead the cost.
“I feel it was step ahead when it comes to racing since Abu Dhabi, the monitor design change the place Flip 9 grew to become a protracted, quick left-hand nook as an alternative of the earlier three-part chicane and 90-degree left nook. I feel it made the racing a bit extra thrilling.”
“I am not going to lie, Abu Dhabi wasn’t one of many highlights of the yr when it comes to single-lap drives. It lacks a bit little bit of character, it lacks excessive pace, it lacks a bit little bit of elevation change. However that being mentioned, it has produced some thrilling races up to now and I feel it has improved for the reason that monitor design modified.”
“It is a problem to arrange the automobile right here as a result of after turns two and three had been flat – they had been flattened by the excessive downforce vehicles in qualifying – now it is primarily a straight between turns one and 5, there’s one other massive straight between turns 5 and 6, and there is one other massive straight between turns seven and 9.
“So sector one and sector two are just about linear setups and also you need the automobile to be environment friendly, however then you definately get into flip 9 and from flip 9 onwards it is all about downforce and the general skill of the automobile. So it’s totally completely different halves of the monitor and which means it is at all times troublesome to arrange the automobile.
As soon as the solar goes down, Sainz says Abu Dhabi might be on a totally completely different course. Joe Portlock/Getty Photographs
“Right here we race at sundown, begin throughout the day and end in complete darkness, however I feel the adjustments from FP1 to FP3 and from FP2 to qualifying are extra noticeable than the adjustments within the race itself.”
Usually, when a race begins, the monitor temperature will drop by maybe 5 levels (Celsius). It is a step, however not an enormous one. Nonetheless, the monitor can drop by 15 to twenty levels from FP1 to FP2, which has a huge impact on the vehicles. You are at all times taking part in a guessing recreation.
For me, the important thing half or nook on the monitor proper now could be Flip 9. As a result of the design of that nook has modified. The quantity of sliding and setup as much as flip 9 could have a huge impact on the steadiness within the last sector.
overview:
Race distance: 58 laps/190.3 miles
2024 pole time: 1 minute 22.595 seconds (Lando Norris, McLaren)
2024 winner: Lando Norris, McLaren
Pirelli is sticking with its traditional compound choice for the ultimate race of the season in Abu Dhabi: C3, C4 and C5. Traditionally, the Yas Marina monitor has seen tire graining, however since final yr this phenomenon seems to have been comparatively restricted, and the excessive resistance of present tires implies that even softs, that are usually solely utilized in qualifying, might change into the tires on which race methods are framed. On this circuit, the degradation is of a thermal nature and is mostly seen on the rear because of the want for traction, particularly within the last sector of the monitor. ”
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Weekend Schedule (all Japanese Time):
Friday, December fifth
4:25am – 5:30am – Free Apply 1, ESPN2
7:55am – 9:00am – Free Apply 2, ESPN-U
Saturday, December sixth
5:25am – 6:30am – Free Apply 3, ESPN2
8:55am – 10:00am – Qualifying, ESPN2
Sunday, December seventh
7:55am – 10am – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (58 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN
