What
The ninth staging of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final round of the 2017 Formula One season.
NEXT FRIDAY
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 17, 2017
Cars back on track 🇦🇪
Desert sunsets 🏜
Action under the lights 👌#F1Finale #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/VBhnCg1NHa
Where
At Yas Marina Circuit, on the 5.5km track at the venue, which is located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
When
The track action runs from Friday November 24 until Sunday November 26, with the race beginning at 5pm UAE time. On Thursday November 23, the track is open to three-day ticket-holders for the pit lane walkabout that allows fans to get up and close with the cars that will compete over the weekend.
Also on track will be F1's two support series - Formula 2 and GP3, who will have races on both Saturday and Sunday.
1,147 laps later, and it's our time to shine 🎇🇦🇪🏁#AbuDhabiGP. You're up!#F1Finale: https://t.co/qTHjapq4G8 pic.twitter.com/vrjukTzySs
— Yas Marina Circuit (@ymcofficial) November 14, 2017
Schedule
The Formula One action is as follows:
Friday
1-2.30pm First practice
5-6.30pm Second practice
Saturday
2-3pm Final practice
5pm Qualifying
Sunday
5pm Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps)
#AbuDhabiGP, J. Cole’s here to party! The platinum listed, hip-hop producer, and recording artist hits the stage on Friday 24th November! Add Golden Circle Upgrade to your tickets to guarantee best access. You ready? Book now: https://t.co/qTHjapq4G8 pic.twitter.com/RCvXBT0WHm
— Yas Marina Circuit (@ymcofficial) November 16, 2017
Concerts
As always there will be Yasalam music concerts taking place after each day's track action
Thursday Calvin Harris
Friday J Cole
Saturday Mumford & Sons
Sunday Pink
This is not a drill, we repeat, this is not a drill, 7 days until #AbuDhabiGP kicks off! Click to book now! https://t.co/uyt3ceRAR3
— Yas Marina Circuit (@ymcofficial) November 16, 2017
Tickets
Fewer than 2,500 tickets were reported to be still available for the event on November 12 by track officials. For updates and to buy tickets, visit www.yasmarinacircuit.com
Championship situations
Lewis Hamilton has already sealed his fourth world title, ninth place in Mexico in October enough to see the Mercedes-GP driver becoming Britain’s most successful driver in terms of championships won.
The constructors’ championship is also already decided, with Mercedes-GP having won the title for a fourth successive season.
Form
Mercedes have won the past three races at Yas Marina, and Hamilton will start as favourite to win at the track for a fourth time himself following his win with McLaren in 2011 and two with Mercedes in 2014 and 2016.
But he will have fierce competition from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who won in Brazil two weeks ago. Vettel has won five times this year and has often been quicker in races than Hamilton, but unreliability and some mistakes of his own ensured Hamilton won the championship much more comfortably then the actual level of competition from Vettel should have allowed.
The other victory hopeful is Max Verstappen, who has won two of the past five races for Red Bull Racing, and the first and third sectors of the lap at Yas Marina should play to the strengths of the Austrian team’s car.
What is at stake
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas can still take second in the championship, but needs to win in Abu Dhabi and have Vettel finish ninth or worst. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen can take fourth from Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo if he out-scores the Australian by eight points.
In the constructors’ championship, where the higher you finish the more you get in prize money, things will be tense in the midfield, with six points covering Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas, who are sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in the standings.
