UAE · The Season Finale

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Yas Marina Circuit

5.281 km

Lap length

58

Laps

16

Corners

2

DRS zones

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Photo: Kristin Greenwood (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
City
Abu Dhabi
First GP
2009
Race distance
306.183 km
Lap record
1:26.103 · Kevin Magnussen (2024)
Round 22 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix UAE

The closer

Yas Marina has hosted the final round of every F1 season since 2014, with the exception of one COVID-disrupted 2020 calendar shuffle. It is purpose-built; sits next to a Ferrari World theme park and a luxury hotel; runs from sunset into night under floodlights as the temperature drops 15°C across the race distance.

Why it matters

Abu Dhabi has hosted some of the most consequential title-deciding races in F1 history — including the 2010 four-way Vettel/Webber/Alonso/Hamilton finale, the 2016 Hamilton/Rosberg conclusion, and the 2021 Verstappen/Hamilton race that remains the most controversial championship outcome of the modern era.

What to watch for

  • The opening sector — heavy braking into Turn 5–6 and Turn 8 are the main overtaking opportunities.
  • The closing third — the slow, twisty marina section turns on tyre temperature and patience.
  • The setting — floodlights, harbor, hotel. The race begins in dusk and finishes in night. The visual changes lap by lap.