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The Roar

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Lewis and Nico only part of the Abu Dhabi story

(Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool)
Roar Guru
26th November, 2014
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In the 2014 Formula One season, Abu Dhabi took the all-important position of being the final race of the year.

The decision seemed controversial at the time of the calendar’s issuing, as this race would also see the introduction of double points for the championship finale.

It was fortunate that the heated championship between Mercedes AMG teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg was set to be decided with one last duel in the desert.

The atmosphere in and around the Yas Marina Circuit was of excitement for the championship finale, and of course celebration with another season set to come to an end.

Most of the fans who had made their way to the circuit had either journeyed over from the UK or were ex-pats living in the UAE or in surrounding countries such as Bahrain and Qatar. This obviously meant there was plenty of Hamilton supporters, waving their Union Jacks and wearing the signature flat peak caps favoured by the British driver.

The circuit itself was vast. For someone who is used to the small and portable nature of Albert Park, seeing the Tilke-Drome built in the middle of the desert on a man-made island was a real eye opener. The vastness made it difficult to travel from point-to-point around the circuit, however several shuttle bus services would every five minutes take you from either the central area to the north, east, or west grandstand.

Architecture and aesthetically the Yas Marina Circuit was beautiful. The turquoise scattered all around the circuit looked like little oases in a hot and dry environment.

Thursday’s pit-lane walk for all grandstand ticket holders was also a pleasant experience. The very wide pit-lane meant that there was room to move around and take selfies with the pit garage of your choice. Obviously the most popular garages over that weekend for fans were Mercedes AMG, Ferrari and Red Bull.

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Friday saw the track action began, with the GP3 and GP2 series supporting Formula One for one last time in the 2014 season. GP2 and GP3 still have the loud and proud engines, boasting more noise than the current generation Formula One car, however in terms of the Formula One power-unit noise, the most dedicated fans that I came across said they were not phased by it anymore and love the grunty, throaty sound of the V6 Turbo.

Autograph sessions were also on offer for fans to meet their favourite drivers, with two to three teams providing one of their drivers per day. The downside was that even though each session was supposed to last 20 minutes some drivers arrived late or left early.

It was fantastic to see fans of McLaren running from the entry gates at 9:30am on the Saturday for their signing session at 11:30am. The early arrival meant that they’d be at the front of the queue to meet both drivers and potentially even say goodbye to Jenson Button. I told Jenson that we ran our own triathlon to be present for this session.

Being at the McLaren session bore more significance to me personally, as back in March during the Australian Grand Prix I was able to get a half-scale helmet signed by the 2009 world champion and a photo. While the helmet signing was fine, when I checked the photo after leaving the stage I discovered not an image of Jenson and I, but the finger of the photographer. I explained this to Jenson in Abu Dhabi and he replied, “Now you know not to trust others with taking photos for you!”

In terms of seating, the word was that you were in for a premium no matter what grandstand you sat in. In the huge north grandstand, the view is spectacular no matter which section you sit around the hairpin. You clearly see the cars weaving out from behind the pit exit and speeding towards the chicane before slowing down for the hairpin, at which photographers in the crowd can get some nice shots. Then you are able to see the cars rocket up the back straight as they use the DRS.

Price wise, getting around Abu Dhabi is cheap. Food and drink is about a quarter of what it is in Australia at any bar or restaurant. It is recommended that you stay close to the circuit if your budget is not enough for the array of lovely hotels on Yas Island, including the famous Viceroy positioned above the circuit. The Ibis/Novotel hotel is located about 20 minutes away from the circuit and 15 minutes from the airport. The cost to travel to the circuit is about 50 dirhams ($AU15) via taxi.

Unless transport has been already organised for you, taxi is the best way to travel around Abu Dhabi, as there are 17,000 cabs available throughout the city. There is a distinct language barrier between the taxi drivers and people who only speak English, but they are familiar with all the major hotels and landmarks. It’s strongly advised to not use the private taxis unless you’ve organised one – after the race on Sunday they lurked around the circuit, trying to take advantage of impatient patrons by charging extra fares.

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The after-race concerts were also good if you wanted more entertainment than a Grand Prix. This year on the Friday it was DJ sensation Armin van Burren who performed, while Pharrell Williams played Saturday night, and The Who closed the event on the Sunday night. Admission to the concerts was free, provided you collected a wristband from an outlet positioned around the circuit. Golden Circle wristbands were also on offer on a limited basis, to allow keen patrons to be right at the front of the show.

Overall the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was an excellent experience and a must-do for any race fan. The added incentive was that it would be the stage for the championship to conclude on, and the majority of the fans got what they came for.

The city itself is jewel to visit, with iconic attractions such as Ferrari World, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and the Yas Waterworld to visit if you choose to extend your stay. Dubai is only 45 minutes away by car too, so it is an option to visit for people proposing to stay on longer.

Speaking of proposing, it was great too to see someone propose to their girlfriend on the autograph stage!

So fascinating are the fans of Formula One, and the event in Abu Dhabi showed that it knows how to treat their fans by putting on a jaw-dropping show.

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