1125th F1 GRAND PRIX | 16th ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX | 16th GRAND PRIX AT YAS MARINA CIRCUIT
2023 POLESITTER: MAX VERSTAPPEN | 2023 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
The sun will set on another Formula 1 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend takes place on December 6-8.
2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday December 6
Free Practice 1 – 1:30pm Local Time / 9:30am UK Time
Free Practice 2 – 5:00pm Local Time / 1:00pm UK Time
Saturday December 7
Free Practice 3 – 2:30pm Local Time / 10:30am UK Time
Qualifying- 6:00pm Local Time / 2:00pm UK Time
Sunday December 8
The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 5:00pm Local Time / 1:00pm UK Time
2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
Yas Marina Circuit will extend its record for hosting the final race of the season on the most occasions. It will be the 13th time that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been the season finale.
The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sees the United Arab Emirates overtake the United States as the country which has hosted the season-ending event on the most occasions.
Lewis Hamilton is set to maintain his record of being the only driver to start every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to date. The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks his 16th appearance at Yas Marina Circuit.
A victory for Max Verstappen at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would see him equal the record for most consecutive victories at a single circuit. Verstappen has won all of the last four Yas Marina Circuit races. The record for most successive wins at a track is currently shared by Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton. Senna took five wins in a row at the Monaco Grand Prix from 1989 to 1993, while Hamilton secured five wins in a row at the Spanish Grand Prix between 2017 and 2021.
Max Verstappen will equal Lewis Hamilton’s record of five Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pole positions if he sets the fastest qualifying lap time on Saturday.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
Since last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix there have been a number of minor changes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Debris fences at Turn 3 have been upgraded and guardrails have been extended at Turn 11. Artificial grass has been removed at Turns 1, 4 and 7 while the grass verge at Turn 4 has been replaced with asphalt. Furthermore, all CCTV cameras around the circuit have been replaced.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?
There will be two DRS zones at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Like last year, the activation zones are located on the circuit’s two longest straights.
YAS MARINA TRACK GUIDE
The now traditional venue for Formula 1’s season finale, the sleek and futuristic Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi holds a Grand Prix which starts at dusk and ends under floodlights.
The Yas Island is a man-made island located to the east of Abu Dhabi’s main island. Work on the Yas Island began in 2006 at a cost of $40 billion. The Yas Island is a leisure complex, which houses a golf course, shopping centres, hotels, a Ferrari-themed theme park and, of course, the Yas Marina Circuit.
After a circuit had been built in Dubai and had unsuccessfully bid to host a Formula One race, Abu Dhabi – the lead emirate in the United Arab Emirates – put plans together for their own circuit. The deal was formally announced in early 2007 at a special ‘Formula One Festival’ held in Abu Dhabi.
Building of the circuit began in May 2007. As was the case when the Bahrain International Circuit was built, the track surface was shipped from Shropshire, England, as the aggregate offers the best grip available to F1 cars. In June 2008, Abu Dhabi’s place as the season-closing event was confirmed when the FIA revealed the calendar for the 2009 F1 season. The oil-rich country wanted a Grand Prix event to boost its identity, and hosting the season closing event has certainly helped that.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers ahead of the on-track action. The drivers appearing in the press conference for this race are:
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Franco Colapinto (Williams)
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams in a separate press conference over the race weekend. The team members appearing in the press conference are:
Mattia Binotto (Sauber)
Andrea Stella (McLaren)
Christian Horner (Red Bull)
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?
Rui Marques will be the race director at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is Derek Warwick.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?
Like last year, Pirelli will supply the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?
Verstappen and Red Bull won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the fourth season in a row, while Mercedes secured the runner-up spot in the standings and Alonso secured fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Ten rookies took to the track in Free Practice 1 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including two debutants – Zak O’Sullivan and Formula E champion Jake Dennis. There were no incidents for the rookies, aside from a close moment for Jack Doohan, when Logan Sargeant was moving slowly on the racing line ahead of him.
Carlos Sainz brought out the red flags in Free Practice 2, crashing heavily into the barriers. When the session resumed, Nico Hulkenberg brought out another red flag with a crash just beyond Turn 1.
Max Verstappen had been unhappy with the balance in his RB19 throughout practice but that didn’t prevent him from setting the fastest lap time in all three stages of qualifying. Sainz was a surprise elimination in Q1, recording his first Q1 exit in over three years, while Lewis Hamilton exited in Q2 for a second successive race weekend. Yuki Tsunoda impressed, reaching Q3 and qualifying in the top six.
Charles Leclerc lined up alongside Verstappen on the front row of the grid and, despite the Ferrari getting a better initial getaway, Verstappen maintained his lead at Turn 1. Leclerc had two more attempts at taking the lead later around the lap but failed to do so.
While Lando Norris passed McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, George Russell began to challenge the Australian. He made a move stick on Lap 11. A slow stop for Norris on Lap 15 allowed Russell to gain another place.
Hamilton damaged his front wing after making contact with the locked-up Alpine of Esteban Ocon ahead of him, while Sergio Perez continued his progress from ninth on the grid, passing Alonso and Piastri to run sixth.
Hamilton accused Alonso of brake testing him, as the Aston Martin driver tried to force the Mercedes to pass him ahead of the DRS detection point. On Lap 47, Perez made contact with Norris as the pair battled for fourth place. Perez received a five second penalty for the incident.
As Mercedes and Ferrari’s closely-fought battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship came to a head, Hamilton passed Sainz for ninth position, bagging an extra crucial point for Mercedes. Perez made a clean move on Norris for fourth place on Lap 48, who then set off in hunt of Russell’s third place. He secured the position on Lap 54.
Verstappen signed off from the 2023 season in style, securing his 19th win of the year but behind him, Leclerc had allowed Perez to pass him in the hope that the Red Bull driver would pull out a five second lead over Russell to nullify his penalty, thus securing Ferrari extra points in the championship battle. The plan failed, with Perez finishing only 3.9 seconds ahead of Russell. The Red Bull driver fell from second to fourth in the final order as a result, which saw Mercedes secure the runner-up spot in the team standings.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP AT THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting Yas Marina Circuit in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.