2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina: Preview and Weekend Times

Opening hours

Friday November 27

Free Practice 1: 10pm-00pm (Sky Sport F11 HD – RaiSport 30)

Free Practice 2: 14pm-00pm (Sky Sport F15 HD – RaiSport 30)

Saturday November 28

Free Practice 3: 11pm-00pm (Sky Sport F12 HD – RaiSport 00)

Qualifying: 14pm-00pm (Sky Sport F15 HD – Rai 00)

Sunday November 29

Race: 14pm ̶ 00 laps ̶ 55km (Sky Sport F305,355 HD – Rai 1)

* all times indicated refer to Italy: there is a three hour difference between Italy and Abu Dhabi.

Previous race

“We have reached the final epilogue, this time not as decisive as last year but still the last race of a season followed together. And there is always a bit of emotion. In Brazil Nico Rosberg surprised us again, after the victory in Mexico, another perfect weekend with pole position and victory. Second at the finish line we find the other Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, a little more aggressive than usual but in the end he manages to do nothing except stay in the German's wake. The usual Vettel was third, and thank goodness it was the "usual", who with an extraordinary performance managed to stay just fifteen seconds behind the leading duo, while Raikkonen, fourth, took forty seconds behind Rosberg. All the others dubbed. With the top three positions in the world championship set, in Abu Dhabi we will really only be racing for the victory. And let's not forget about GP3, where the title will be awarded and our Luca Ghiotto will be fighting!”  [MB]

Prediction

“The last night race of this season went to Sebastian Vettel, able to manage the race in front of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull after the serious Mercedes crisis. To end the season in the best possible way, it would be excellent to see a balance between these three forces thanks to the night factor, which varies the temperature and therefore the use of tires and mechanical parts, but we doubt that Mercedes wants to leave this last Grand Prix to chance. Therefore the only one capable of opposing it could be Ferrari. And with this prediction the 2015 season ends, where thanking you readers for following us I hope you will still be with us in 2016 to cheer and experience the emotions that only Formula One can offer." [AV]

Circuit

Name: Yas Marina Circuit

Location: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Construction: The track was built in 2009 to host the first edition of the Formula 1 GP in the same year. Built by the same company that built the Ferrari World and all the theme parks in the area, the circuit is located on the island of Yas, between Ultra-luxury hotels and golf courses, and is located about 30 minutes by car from the metropolis of Abu Dhabi. All the grandstands on the track are equipped with covers to protect spectators from the scorching sun. The track is a very particular mix of long straights and almost city-driven parts. Particular is the exit from the pits with the tunnel to return to the track, an idea by Hermann Tilke, designer of the track layout. In 2009 it was the first circuit to host a race at sunset, with daylight lighting progressively switched on during the race.

Distance per lap: 5,554 km

Number of curves: 21, 12 on the left and nine on the right

Direction of travel: counterclockwise

3 Best Parts: Curve 2-3-4, these are curves to be taken under full acceleration in sixth and seventh gear. A notable physical effort for the driver and technical effort for the car given the high lateral G forces. It's a fast and exciting part (especially according to Raikkonen). Here there are very few chances of overtaking, but every now and then there is some good battle when the drivers return from the pit lane. Turn 8: after a very long straight it is the most concrete opportunity on the whole circuit for an overtaking. A very violent braking in which you go from eighth to second gear, just after the DRS area. Some beautiful ones are seen here every year. Turn 11: same as above. This is a slightly less violent braking in which you shift from eighth to third gear, but you still have the possibility to counterattack and to conclude the maneuver started two straights earlier.

Mechanical Stress: the asphalt on this semi-permanent track is very often dirty with sand, and gradually becomes rubbered during the weekend, so the tires are subjected to greater stress in free practice and can show graining. The carcass is subjected to considerable stress on the two long straights where high speeds are reached. However, the compound requires high grip in the more driven sectors, given that the track does not require a high aerodynamic load due to the two long straights. From a brake point of view this track is definitely hell. In the Hard category, it has 23 points in which the driver activates the braking system for a total of 18% of the lap. The hardest braking section is certainly that of turn 8, and it is also among the longest in the world championship, with 133 meters of braking. Here the driver presses the brake pedal with 129 kg and is subjected to a deceleration of 5,09 g. over a total of 55 laps a car develops a braking power of 149 kWh.

Tire choice: PZERO YELLOW SOFT and PZERO RED SUPERSOFT.

DRS area: on the straight between turns 7 and turn 8 with detection point before turn 7; on the straight between turns 9 and turn 11, with detection point after turn 9.

Previous Editions

Last 3 Editions:

2012 edition: pole position for Lewis Hamilton (McLaren – Mercedes) ahead of Mark Webber (RBR-Renault) and Sebastian Vettel, who however will be relegated to last position due to the lack of petrol in the single-seater tank compared to what was declared by the regulations ; at a later time it was decided to let the driver start from the pit lane. Race: Hamilton maintains the lead of the group at the start, followed by Kimi Räikkönen, Pastor Maldonado and Webber. Alonso lagged behind, but quickly managed to overtake the Australian. At the rear there is a clash between Rosberg and Karthikeyan: the safety car takes over, in the meantime Vettel climbs up to twelfth place when due to a contact he is forced to return to the pits, returning twenty-first. On the twentieth lap Alonso and his Ferrari took third position from Maldonado's Williams, while Hamilton was forced to retire after once again leading the race due to a technical failure, Räikkönen thus took the lead. Meanwhile Vettel enters the top ten, then taking advantage of the second entry of the safety car following the accident between Grosjean and Webber, actually caused by the Mexican Pérez. In the final laps Alonso tries in vain to put pressure on the Finn, who goes on to win for the first time after his return to Formula One, while Vettel manages to grab third position after having chased and finally overtaken Jenson Button's McLaren for a long time .

2013 edition: the drivers' and constructors' titles have already been assigned to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull respectively, we reach the last race of the calendar where since Friday the two drivers from the Milton Keynes team have always set the record straight. On Saturday the pole position was won by Mark Webber, the last in Formula One before moving on to Endurance, Vettel was second and the two Mercedes were in the second row with Rosberg ahead of Hamilton. Race: Vettel immediately takes the lead of the race followed by Rosberg, Webber, Grosjean, Hamilton, Hülkenberg and the two Ferraris. The first session of stops is quite extensive and is opened by Hamilton on the seventh lap, on the fourteenth lap it is Vettel's turn and on the eighteenth finally Felipe Massa is the last of the leading group to return. The German remains in the lead while Webber is now second, having regained his starting position. On the twenty-ninth lap it is once again Hamilton's Mercedes that starts the round of tire changes, nothing changes in front while Vergne passes behind Hamilton and Alonso, with the Spaniard who in the attempt jumps over a curb and suffers a force of 25G, fortunately without reporting consequences at the end of the race. In the final laps the Spaniard also passes Hamilton and Paul di Resta, finishing in fifth position. After 55 laps Sebastian Vettel went on to win the seventh consecutive and last race of the 2013 championship with Webber second who scored a one-two for Red Bull, third was Nico Rosberg with Mercedes.

2014 edition: tense final at Mercedes, as Lewis Hamilton will have to defend the title from the attacks of Nico Rosberg, 17 points behind but still in the race thanks to the double points regulation given by the last GP of the season. In Friday's free practice, the Englishman led both sessions ahead of his teammate, albeit with a very small gap. In FP3 on Saturday, Rosberg was 369 thousandths faster than Hamilton. Qualifying: Q1 and Q2 are led by Lewis, who however fails to confirm himself even in the decisive phase, beaten by Nico at the end of Q3. For the German it is the fifteenth pole of his career. Race: Rosberg's start is not excellent and so his teammate immediately takes the lead, behind are Felipe Massa (Williams), Jenson Button (McLaren), Alonso and Rӓikkӧnen with the Ferraris, Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) and Valtteri Bottas with the other Williams. The first two go to change tires on the 10th and 11th lap respectively but their positions remain unchanged. Meanwhile, from behind we can witness the slow but inexorable comeback of Bottas, who is fifth at the end of lap 24. Serious problems instead for Rosberg, who communicates a drop in power to the radio team: unfortunately for him the matter is unsolvable and he is passed by Massa, who gains second place, Valtteri Bottas and gradually all the other drivers, deciding not to retire but to finish his race (he finished 14th) saying goodbye to his world championship dream. After 55 laps Lewis Hamilton crosses the finish line under a thunder of applause and fireworks: he is world champion for the second time after 2008. Felipe Massa comes second, 2 seconds behind the leader, teammate Valtteri Bottas third to close the race. podium.

Best Edition For Authors:

2011 edition: the drivers' world championship bracket ended some time ago, won by Vettel well in advance, the German also took pole in this Grand Prix. With a time of 1.38.481 he set his 14th of the season, equaling Nigel Mansell's previous record of 1992. The following day, however, he made a mistake at the first corner which led to the right rear breaking, thus causing him to retire prematurely. Lewis Hamilton takes the lead, followed by Webber and Button, who will however soon be overtaken by Alonso. The challenge then begins between the Englishman and the Asturian for first position, while Webber and Button also put on a show for third position, exchanging the role of chaser and chased several times until the first stop, where Webber loses time. Little changes then, with Massa maintaining his position despite a spin; Hamilton then went on to win over Alonso and Button, with the Red Bulls failing to reach the podium for the first time in the season.

Best Edition For Readers:

2010 edition: in the last Grand Prix of this season the champion of the season is decided, in a four-way challenge between Vettel, Alonso, Webber and Hamilton; last GP for the Bridgestone compounds, replaced by Pirelli starting from the following season. In qualifying on Saturday the fastest was Vettel with a time of 1.39.394, followed by Hamilton, Alonso and Button. At the start on Sunday, Alonso lost a position to Jenson. At the braking point of turn 6, Schumacher's Mercedes is the protagonist of a spin in the middle of the wild pile: it is hit by Liuzzi, who passes over the German's single-seater, touching his helmet. The safety car then takes over, leading the group for five laps. The first stops are made, during which Sebastian Vettel sets a strong pace, which only Hamilton seems to be able to maintain. In the second phase of stops, a series of passes take place that cause Alonso and his Ferrari to slide backwards, while Webber is forced to return early after having hit the barriers with his right rear, returning to the track with a serious delay. Hamilton fails to attack Vettel, who after 55 laps becomes the youngest world champion, at 23 years, 4 months and 11 days; third Button.

RECORD

Test lap: 1:38.434 – L Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes - 2011
Race lap: 1:40.279 – S Vettel – Red Bull Renault - 2009
Distance: 1h34:03.414 – S Vettel – Red Bull Renault - 2009
Driver victories: 3 – S Vettel
Team victories: 3 – Red Bull
Driver pole: 2 – S Vettel, L Hamilton
Pole team: 3 – Red Bull
Best driver laps: 2 – S Vettel
Best team laps: 4 – Red Bull
Driver podiums: 4 – S Vettel
Team podiums: 6 – Red Bull

Hall of Fame

1. 2009 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
2. 2010 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
3. 2011 L Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes
4. 2012 K Raikkonen – Lotus Renault
5. 2013 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
6. 2014 L Hamilton – Mercedes

 

Andrea Villa, Matteo Bramati.

Sources: Brembo, Pirelli.