Preview: Abu Dhabi GP
After nine months of intense racing, the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship draws to a close in Abu Dhabi next weekend. With double points up for grabs for the first time in the sport’s history, it promises to be a thrilling climax to the season.
The Yas Marina Circuit is one of the most elaborate racetracks in the world. Its unique features include a pitlane exit that passes underneath the track and pit garages that are air conditioned, and its lighting system is more powerful than anything found in a conventional stadium.
The 5.554km/3.451-mile track was completed just ahead of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009, since when it’s been a permanent fixture on the F1 calendar. This year marks the third occasion that it has staged the season finale.
The track is located on a man-made island on the eastern side of Abu Dhabi. It was designed by Hermann Tilke, along with seven other tracks on this year’s calendar, and it winds its way around a 400-acre site that has a marina at its heart.
As is customary with Tilke-designed tracks, the circuit features three distinct sectors. The lap starts off with a couple of fast sweeps; it has two straights in the middle, along which the cars will exceed 300km/h through the two DRS zones, and it ends with a tight and twisty section that snakes past the Viceroy Hotel.
The track’s 21 corners are predominantly slow and medium-speed turns, which, when combined with the smooth asphalt, allows Pirelli to take their two softest compounds to the race. The Soft (Prime) and Super-soft (Option) are making their sixth combined appearance of the year, having last been used together in Singapore.
Grip levels fluctuate throughout the race weekend. The asphalt is dusty and slippery to begin with, but it rubbers-in quickly once practice gets underway on Friday. Track temperature also affects grip. This race starts in sunlight at 5:00pm and finishes in the dark, under floodlights; the asphalt can cool by as much as 15 degrees during that time, which can affect the balance of the cars.
Championship chances
Points are normally awarded 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 but in Abu Dhabi this will be 50-36-30-24-20-16-12-8-4-2.
With Britain's Hamilton currently at 334 points, he has 17 points in hand over his German teammate, meaning:
Hamilton will be champion if he finishes first or second; third, fourth or fifth and Rosberg fails to win; sixth with Rosberg not in the top two; seventh or eighth with Rosberg out of the top three; ninth and Rosberg is not in the top four or tenth (or lower) and Rosberg is no higher than sixth.
Rosberg will win this year's Formula One championship if he wins and Hamilton is not second; he finishes second and Hamilton is not in the top five; he is third and Hamilton is out of the top six; he is fourth and Hamilton is no higher than ninth or he is fifth and Hamilton is no higher than 10th.
In essence, Rosberg needs to finish in the top 5 to even make a chance on the title, while Hamilton obviously has it in his own hands. Both drivers and the team are hoping for a straight fight without reliability issues, as a DNF would almost certainly hand the championship to the other driver.
Car set-up
Front wing Turn 2 is the crucial corner for determining how much front wing is used. More front wing is required here than for any other corner, so you need sufficient front wing to prevent excessive understeer at Turn 2 without causing too much detriment elsewhere.
Rear wing Essentially a high-medium downforce level with particular attention to the need to maintain good speed on the long straights while maximising grip in the low-speed final sector.
Suspension The kerbs are more pronounced than seen at some other tracks, in particular Turns 8, 9 and through the last sector. A soft car which rides the kerbs well helps here, but it’s a trade-off between having a soft car which will ride over the kerbs and one which is stiff enough for the driver to have a sharp change of direction which is necessary for the chicanes Ð 8-9 and 11-13.
Brakes There are reasonable braking demands, especially into Turns 5, 8, 11 which have quite high speed approaches to the low speed corners. Temperatures will need to be monitored as will wear; these are not likely to be an issue, but more attention is paid to them here than at other tracks.
Tyres A softer allocation than in 2013, with the soft and super soft compounds employed for Abu Dhabi in 2014. Will be the first time the super soft has been seen since Singapore and the sixth time this combination has been seen this season.
Engine set-up
Finally we reach the last race of the season and can use every part to the max, knowing that we will not need to re-use again at a later stage.
The ICE will be used a lot down the back straight, but we can also see how far the PU usage has come: we can recover sufficient energy in the corners without having to lift off and coast on the straights to save fuel. Enough energy will instead be recovered over one lap thanks to the improved MGU-K and H performance in the back section.
Quick facts
Race distance : 55 laps (305.355km/189.747 miles)
Start time: 17:00 (local)/13:00 (GMT)
Circuit length: 5.554km/3.451 miles
Track abrasiveness: Low. The super-smooth asphalt is made from granite imported from the UK and it allows Pirelli to take their two softest compounds to the race
Pirelli tyre choice: Super-soft (Option) / Soft (Prime), a combination that has already been used five times this year, most recently in Singapore
2013 winning strategy: Two pitstops
Fuel consumption: High. More than 60 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle and the stop-start nature of the track pushes up fuel consumption figures
Brake wear: High. There are 12 braking events around the lap, two of which are big stops from more than 300kph. Brake cooling has to be monitored closely
Weather: Hot. However, the temperature cools after dark, down to 20 degrees
DRS zones: Two – on consecutive straights. The first is on the approach to Turn Eight; the second is on the approach to Turn Eleven
Turbo effect: High. Not as crucial as at Interlagos, but still important due to the stop-start nature of the track layout
Safety Car likelihood: Medium. Two of the five races staged at the track have been affected by the Safety Car, most recently in 2012
Grid advantage: Grip levels improve a lot over the weekend, so it’s best to start on the racing line – the right side of the grid. But P2 made it to Turn One first last year
Pitlane time: 22s
