Yas Marina Circuit

Yas Marina Circuit is a racing venue that hosts one of the Formula One World Championship races - the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Yas Marina Circuit is a dedicated motor-racing circuit on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The course has an FIA Grade 1 license, which means that the circuit meets the highest standard of safety, infrastructure, layout, and other facilities.

Yas Marina Circuit was constructed in 2008. The circuit was designed by a famous Formula One former driver and track designer, Hermann Tilke. His other projects include Bahrain International Circuit, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Red Bull Ring, Valencia Street Circuit, and many others.

The circuit hosted the GP2 Asia Series at its official opening - a week before its inaugural 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Yas Marina Circuit became the venue to host the second Formula One Grand Prix in the Middle East.

The first-ever Grand Prix in the Middle East was the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit, and after Abu Dhabi joined in 2009, it was followed by the Qatar Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.

Ever since its first Grand Prix in 2009, the Yas Marina Circuit became a permanent part of the Formula One calendar, exclusively hosting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix every year since its inception.

The track itself, however, met with mixed reactions from the drivers and fans. After practices for its first Grand Prix, drivers like Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso praised the circuit for being unique, saying: "There is always something to do."

On the other hand, Kimi Raikkonen famously commented: "The first few turns are quite good, but the rest of it is sh*t." The circuit turned out to be very challenging for overtaking, and consequently, multiple races held here have become less enjoyable for drivers and Formula One fans.

After the 2017 Grand Prix, Hermann Tilke said he was considering changing a few parts of the track to create more overtaking opportunities. Consequently, the previous turns 4, 5, and 6, along with 11, 12, and 13, were redesigned, and the track was reconfigured just in time for the 2021 Grand Prix.

The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix became memorable for offering great action to the fans, firstly with the great battle between Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton and later on the final lap of the race - a Championship-deciding battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.