The capital is checking its tyres, topping up its oil and revving its engine. Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is arriving on November 1. Not only will this be the inaugural race for the brand new Yas Marina Island track, but it is also the final of the 2009 Formula One racing season, determining which of the drivers emerges as the world champion of racing. All eyes will be on Dhabi.
But let’s start at the beginning: Formula One racing has taken place in one form or another since 1947. Its full official title is the FIA Formula One World Championship, with the FIA (Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile) as the current governing body. The ‘formula’ bit refers to the set of guidelines that the cars and drivers must conform to, with Formula One signifying the highest class and the fastest possible cars (up to around 355kmph), with a huge emphasis on aerodynamics, suspension and tyres.
The F1 season is split into different Grand Prix races and over the course of the season these determine the winners of two annual world championships – one for the drivers and one for the constructors. Both are decided on a points system, with the first eight finishers in a race awarded the numbers (first place 10 points, second place eight, third six, and so on). Each team has two drivers, which is why the drivers’ and constructors’ champions can differ. The 2008 drivers’ champion was Lewis Hamilton, while Ferrari took the constructors’ title (Michael Schumacher holds the record for most drivers’ championships, with seven).
With so much emphasis on technology, and the cost of taking cars around the world, F1 is by no means cheap – rules constantly change, and many teams have gone bust or been bought out over the years. But the sport has huge sponsorship and merchandising opportunities, with a massive audience worldwide.
Already this year there have been 14 Grand Prix events and, this month, races are taking place in Suzuka in Japan and Sao Paulo in Brazil. But the grand finale is being held right here in our city on November 1. We’ll see you there.
The running order
The Abu Dhabi F1 takes place over three days: day one (Friday, October 30) sees two practice sessions from 1pm-2.30pm and 5pm-6.30pm, allowing the drivers to get used to the track; day two (Saturday, October 31) sees another practice session from 2pm-3pm, followed by the qualifying stage at 5pm – this decides the order of the 20 cars on the starting grid in the big race. Day three (Sunday, November 1) is the main event, starting at 5pm – cars begin with a warm-up lap, then assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified before setting off for 55 laps of high-speed racing.
