GET TO KNOW
THE CIRCUIT
Located on an island in the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi always extends a warm – literally and figuratively – welcome to the visiting F1 fraternity and race fans, putting on a show that befits its standing as the last race on the calendar and ensures that the season goes out with a pyrotechnic bang!
What’s the circuit like?
The Hermann Tilke-designed track is dominated by its 1.2km straight between Turns 5 and 6 – which, with slow-speed corners marking its beginning and end, makes it a honeypot for overtaking moves. Other highlights include the tricky run through Turns 10 and 11 into 12, which forces the drivers to brake hard with bags of lateral load still on the car. Track modifications ahead of the 2021 race, shortening the lap slightly to 5.28km, have only added to its excitement.
When was the track built?
In 2006, plans were announced to develop Yas Island, located just to the east of Abu Dhabi, into a new tourist destination, with a major part of the plans centring around a 5.5km race track. The diggers rolled into what would become the Yas Marina Circuit in May 2007, with the project completed by October 2009.
When was its first Grand Prix?
In 2009. The track debuted as that year’s Formula 1 season finale, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel winning from team mate Mark Webber and the already-crowned 2009 champion Jenson Button. Vettel would go on to secure his first title in Abu Dhabi a year later, amid much crying.
SAFETY CAR
PROBABILITY:
VSC
PROBABILITY:
Trivia
Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen all sealed their maiden F1 world titles in Abu Dhabi
FIRST GRAND PRIX:
2009
TRACK LENGTH:
5.281km
LAP RECORD:
1:25.637
Kevin Magnussen (2024)
Previous winners
2024 Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2020 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Previous polesitters
2024 Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2020 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
PIT STOP
TIME LOSS
21.0s
(including 2.5s stationary)
OVERTAKES COMPLETED IN 2024:
96
POLE RUN TO TURN 1 BRAKING POINT:
The Driver's Verdict
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault F1 driver
The circuit has been improved as it used to be quite fiddly, but they’ve got rid of the wishy-washy chicanes that are now Turn 5 and Turn 9.
As a result, it’s a much quicker circuit and better for racing. There are good overtaking opportunities under braking into Turn 6 and then at the exit toward Turn 9.
The triple right-hander near the end of the lap is the trickiest part. You’re blind braking into Turn 12, so it’s easy to make a mistake. It’s been widened, but Turn 13 is still tricky and it’s important to get the car placement right.
The final sector is the least enjoyable to drive in many ways, but it’s where you can win or lose a huge amount of time.
As the last race of the season, it’s always a nice feel overall.
Current Form
What can be expected going into the Grand Prix weekend?
After 23 action-packed rounds, it all comes down to this.
Three drivers with seven race wins apiece in 2025, covered by just 16 points. Only one of them will leave Abu Dhabi with the World Championship title under their belt.
Will it be Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri as a first-time champion? Or can Max Verstappen complete the most remarkable of comebacks and make it five titles on the bounce?
The next few days will give us that coveted answer.
Verstappen arrives as the man in form, having won five of the last eight Grands Prix and slashed a 104-point deficit post-Zandvoort to just 12, while also boasting four of the last five victories at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Norris and McLaren were winners here last year, though, and the Briton knows that by finishing on the podium this weekend, there is nothing either Verstappen or Piastri can do to stop him taking the crown.
Behind that headline battle, there are plenty of other scores to be settled, such as the race for P2 and P6 in the Teams’ Championship, and ego-boosting positions in the Drivers’ standings.
Iconic Moment
2010 championship showdown
There have been loads of thrilling battles and title-deciding weekends in Abu Dhabi over the years, meaning no shortage of options to choose from.
However, with everything that’s on the line this weekend, it seems appropriate to revisit the 2010 championship showdown, when Red Bull team mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton all arrived with a shot at title glory.
What followed was a tense and dramatic encounter that saw Vettel, some 15 points off the title lead heading into the race, complete an incredible turnaround with a charge to victory over Hamilton, while Webber and Alonso endured traffic-related nightmares.
