Posted on 25th November 2015
As we head to Yas Marina for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend for the final race of the 2015 F1 season, Pirelli have selected the P Zero Yellow soft tyres and P Zero Red supersoft from their range for this weekend's race; which is the same selection they used for the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season.
With both championships already decided the teams can obviously push to the maximum and Pirelli's tyre choice in Abu Dhabi will provide them with an interesting challenge. While the surface of the Yas Marina is very smooth, the tyres are still pushed quite hard due to the track layout; so tyre management becomes an important part of the teams and drivers strategy, particularly under acceleration in the traction areas, where it is very easy to spin the wheels.
The falling track and air temperatures over the course of the race (which does not start until 5pm) means that the track tends to get faster as the grand prix goes on, a phenomenon that is accentuated by falling fuel loads.
Just like the previous round at Interlagos, the track runs in an anti-clockwise direction at Abu Dhabi: a relatively unusual feature, which can sometimes cause physical problems for the drivers.
The first part of the circuit effectively consists of a series of non-stop bends, which heats up the tyre compound. The compound then gets a chance to cool down on the long straight, with the cars on full throttle for around 15 seconds, with the equivalent of around 800 kilograms of downforce.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held from late afternoon into the evening. As a result, track temperatures tend to drop over the course of the race, meaning that the pattern of tyre behaviour is slightly different to normal: another complex variable for teams to factor into their strategy calculations.
The 2015 Formula One championship concludes at a venue that is very familiar to Pirelli: the spectacular Yas Marina circuit at Abu Dhabi, which has been used for testing and a pre-season launch by the Italian firm, including the world's first wet-weather test run at night.
Just two days after the chequered flag on the 2015 season, Formula One will already begin testing for 2016. Two days after the race, there will be a dedicated Pirelli tyre test from 9am to 9pm on Tuesday 1 December, with all the teams running one car to test some 2016 constructions and the new 'ultrasoft' tyre; which will carry purple markings at next year's races to which Pirelli announced this morning will only be used for street circuits.
Here are the facts and figures going into this race weekend in Yas Marina
Yas Marina has hosted the Grand Prix since 2009.
Sebastian Vettel is the most successful driver currently at the track with three wins.
Red Bull is the most successful constructor to win the Grand Prix with three wins.
Race distance: 305.35km (189.74 miles)
Number of turns: 21
Top speed: 315kph
Lap record: Sebastian Vettel- Red Bull (2009)- 1.40.279
Last Five Winners from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:-
2010- Sebastian Vettel
2011-Lewis Hamilton
2012-Kimi Raikkonen
2013-Sebastian Vettel
2014- Lewis Hamilton
My five things to look out for this weekend:-
1.Tyre and brake performance- With the track being hard on tyres and also on the performance of the brakes due to the characteristics of the Yas Marina circuit; alongside the demands of the asphalt as well which alters the pattern of tyre behaviour, it will be interesting to see how that affects tyre usage this year.
Will this impact anyone's race on Sunday as a result?
2. Weather- With the weather cooling down during the course of the weekend at the Yas Maria circuit, we could see the weather playing a part in the weekend once again. With Abu Dhabi hosting some pretty challenging finales over the past few years such as the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for example, will see yet another unpredictable race once again this year?
3. Red Bull edging closer to an Renault engine deal for the 2016 season- With rumours circulating this week that the Red Bull team are close to signing an engine deal with Renault next year, will we see an announcement this weekend about the future of the team?
4. Last race for Lotus and Romain Grosjean- With Romain Grosjean announcing that he will be leaving the Lotus team at the end of the season to join the Haas F1 Team for the 2016 season; all eyes will be upon both parties as they end their working relationship together. It is sad to see both of them not working together anymore but let's hope they get a great result to end their partnership in the manner that they should.
5. Looking towards the 2016 season- With this being the final race of the season, all eyes will be looking towards how the teams and drivers are looking heading into the 2016 season. With Mercedes dominating this season and Ferrari making giant strides as well; will the race result this weekend show an early indication of who will be dominant in the 2016 season.
Sky Sports F1 are showing uninterrupted coverage of every Practice session, Qualifying and race for the Grand Prix (and every race of the season) and the BBC also are showing coverage, details for both are below:-
Sky Sports F1:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 8.45pm and 12.45pm [Replays throughout Friday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 9.45pm and 12.00pm [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 11.30pm
BBC:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 8.55am and 1.00pm, Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 9.55am and 12.10pm, Sunday (Race and Race Highlights) 12.10pm and 7.00pm
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
