The 2025 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship will be decided at a now traditional season finale venue, with this year’s visit marking the 14th time the curtain falls in Abu Dhabi. For the fifth time the title is still up for grabs, with last year’s Constructors’ Championship on the line as Ferrari attempted to usurp McLaren, with this week’s guide to Yas Marina – Carlos Sainz – directing the load.
“Abu Dhabi, I think since the change in track design that made Turn 9 a long, faster left-hander from the previous three-part chicane and 90 degrees to the left, I think it’s been a good step forward in terms of racing. It makes the races a bit more exciting.
“I’m not going to lie, Abu Dhabi has never been one of our highlights of the year in terms of one lap. It lacks a bit of character, it lacks a bit of high speed and it lacks a bit of elevation gain. But having said that, it has produced some exciting races in the past. Since the track design has changed I think it has improved.
“It’s a tough challenge to put the car here because since Turn 2 and Turn 3 went flat – they went flat with the high downforce cars in qualifying – it’s now essentially a straight between Turn 1 and Turn 5, and there’s another big straight between Turn 5 and Turn 6, and another big straight between Turn 7 and Turn 9.
“So you have Sector 1 and Sector 2 which are much more of a straight line configuration and you need efficiency from the car, but then you get into Turn 9 and from Turn 9 onwards it’s all about downforce and the combined capabilities of the car. So they’re very different halves of the circuit, and that means it’s always difficult to set up a car.
Once the sun sets, Abu Dhabi could be a completely different circuit, says Sainz. Joe Portlock/Getty Images
“We race here at sunset, starting in daylight and finishing in total darkness, but I think it’s the change from FP1 to FP3 and FP2 to qualifying that is more noticeable than the change during the race itself.
Normally, once we start the race, the temperature on the track drops maybe five degrees Celsius, which is a step, but not huge. But from FP1 to FP2 the track can drop 15-20 degrees, which really affects the cars. You’re always playing guessing games.
For me the most important part or corner on the track now is Turn 9, because they changed the design of that corner. The amount of slides and the setup you have through turn 9 can dictate a lot about the balance you get in the final sector.
AT A GLANCE:
Race distance: 58 laps/190.3 miles
Pole time 2024: 1m22.595s (Lando Norris, McLaren)
2024 winner: Lando Norris, McLaren
Pirelli will stick to the usual selection of compounds for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, namely the C3, C4 and C5. Historically, the Yas Marina circuit has seen graininess on the tyres, but since last year this phenomenon seems to be relatively limited and the greater drag of the current tires could reduce this to such an extent that even the Soft, which is usually only used in qualifying, could be a tire around which a race strategy can be put together. On this circuit the degradation is thermal in nature and is generally seen at the rear due to the need for traction, especially in the last sector of the circuit.”
ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Friday December 5
4:25 AM – 5:30 AM – Free practice 1, ESPN2
7:55 – 9:00 – Free practice 2, ESPN-U
Saturday December 6
5:25 AM – 6:30 AM – Free practice 3, ESPN2
8:55 – 10:00 – Qualifying, ESPN2
Sunday December 7
7:55 – 10:00 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (58 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN
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