What do you think of the new Abu Dhabi F1 venue?
I’ve never been to Abu Dhabi, but everything I’ve seen or heard about the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been about setting a level of excellence and making the race into a world-class event. I very much enjoy visiting this part of the world – the Bahrain Grand Prix is always a highlight for the team. The weather in the Middle East is incredible, too – so it’s always a fantastic place to visit. I think the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix should be an incredible place to conclude what’s been a real rollercoaster of a Formula One season.
From studying the track layout, what will the Yas Marina Circuit be like to drive?
I’ve had a look at the track layout and talked to my engineers about it, and we think it’s going to be a good challenge. I’m looking forward to trying it out [in the simulator at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, UK] before we arrive in Abu Dhabi. I know the circuit is made up of several different sections – it has a wide, sweeping, fast section and a tighter marina area, so it’s going to be a compromise on set-up. I hope the marina front will be similar to Monaco, because that’s such a fantastic challenge: a track like Monaco requires a unique combination of commitment and precision, so it would be great if the Abu Dhabi circuit could replicate that.
Most importantly for us, it looks like the track will very much favour Kers [Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, usage. There are a couple of very tight corners leading onto very long straights – which are just made for Kers – and a tight, twisty layout around the marina, which is good for us, too. There also doesn’t appear to be any high-speed corners, so it looks like the circuit will really favour our technical package – that’s what I’m hoping for, anyway.
How much would it mean to finish off the season with a victory?
It would be a fantastic achievement for the whole team. We’ve worked so, so hard to improve our car over the course of the season – and winning in Hungary was an incredible feeling – but to take the final win of the year into the winter with you would be a great boost to our morale. It would show everyone just how much we mean business and it would give us huge encouragement for the whole of the off-season. At the moment, it looks like we’ll have a very good chance, so I’m really looking forward to a fantastic race; one that I hope is good for us but also good for the whole of Formula One and Abu Dhabi itself.
On Track
Your guide to the Yas Marina Circuit.
It has the first hotel to actually straddle the track – the five-star Yas Marina Hotel.
It is 55.5km long.
The track is 12-16m wide.
You can view a virtual lap of the course on YouTube – type in Yas Marina Circuit virtual lap.
The race will last for 55 laps.
The arena can seat 50,000 spectators.
All the grandstands will be covered to keep spectators cool.
The 60m solar-powered Sun Tower will offer unrivalled views for VIPs.
It has a total of 20 corners with nine right turns and 11 left turns.
The track was designed by renowned circuit architect Hermann Tilke.
