Following disappointment in Brazil and losing a lot of points on the track Mercedes-Benz Motorsport are all geared up for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The underperformance in Brazil means they head to Abu Dhabi with a point to prove. Yas Marina has been a good circuit for them in the last years and they will push hard to continue in the same way.
The race is one last opportunity for them to add another victory to the record of the W10 and it is one more chance to put on a great show for the fans before the winter break. They are looking forward to the fight because they know that in Formula One, they are only as good as their last result.
This season has been a real rollercoaster for Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. They’ve seen great on-track battles and they’ve loved the competition. They have come out on top and managed to put the Mercedes name in the history books of Formula One with their sixth consecutive double title. On the other hand, it’s been an incredibly hard year where they had to say goodbye to too many friends. They were hit hard by the passing of Charlie, Niki and Anthoine, as well as important members from their team who they have tragically lost this year. At Mercedes, Niki left a void that will never be filled – as a source of inspiration, as a voice of reason, but most importantly as a great friend.
The first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009 was also the first twilight race in Formula One, starting at sunset and finishing under the dark skies of night time. Around 4,700 light fixtures illuminate the Yas Marina Circuit for the twilight race. The 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on the 1st Due to the increased number of races, this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place exactly one month later – on the 1st December.
Lewis Hamilton qualified on pole for the first race in 2009 with a 1:40.948, while his 2018 pole position was a 1:34.794 – over six seconds quicker. The Yas Marina Circuit has the second-highest number of corners on the F1 calendar, with 21, split between 12 left-handers and nine right-handers. Only the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore has more corners (23).
In Qualifying, the fastest corners on the circuit are taken flat-out. Drivers can reach 275 km/h and up to 5G through the high-speed Turns 2 and 3. The fastest corner where the driver has to come off the throttle is Turn 20, which is taken at 210 km/h. The pit lane at the Yas Marina Circuit has a very unusual layout, featuring a unique pit lane exit with a tunnel passing under the track and a tight left-hand corner. This left-hand corner is actually the slowest turn of the track, taken at 60 km/h. That’s around 5 km/h slower than Turn 7, which is the slowest turn on the actual circuit.
