The changes to Abu Dhabi’s Formula 1 track have been officially revealed.
As reported by The Race, the Yas Marina circuit is being revised for the 2021 season finale with two major changes at the heart of efforts to make the final grand prix of the year less dull.
The track will now sweep down towards the first hairpin uninterrupted by the slow chicane, and the hairpin will also be widened to be taken at a slightly higher speed.
Further round the lap, another hairpin is set to be incorporated in place of the slow left-right-left complex and 90-degree left-hander that follows the second of the two back straights.
👀 @ymcofficial is set to undergo its first major restructuring since it first opened in 2009
We should see more speed, and better chances to overtake! 🤩#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/dJnrngASwm
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 24, 2021
While the higher approach speed may make the hairpin a potential overtaking spot the main idea behind that part of the track being adjusted is to make it better for cars to follow down the first of the two back straights.
Without the slow chicane and aided by a higher-speed hairpin, drivers should be able to stay slightly closer onto the back straight and benefit from a more powerful slipstream sooner as well.
Meanwhile, a sweeping and slightly banked horseshoe-style left corner will now follow the second back straight and lead up to the fast double right that precedes the tight right-hander kicking off the complex that runs around the hotel.
This section will also be tweaked to make all four corners more open, making it slightly faster and easier to follow through than with the shorter, sharper corners now.
Saif Al Noaimi, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, said: “The reason we’re making these changes is because we’ve listened to the spectators and fans, we’ve listened to the teams and drivers, and we’ve built these modifications taking into consideration the feedback we’ve received.
“Ultimately our objective is to create more overtaking opportunities, closer wheel-to-wheel racing and a faster, free-flowing circuit.”
📢🏁 NEWS ALERT 📢🏁
A new era begins at Yas Marina Circuit. For the action. For the fans. For the sport. 🔥
Here’s a sneak peek of the changes coming to our track layout for the 2021 #AbuDhabiGP.🏎@EMSO_NEWS @F1 @Mrk1Consulting#F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/8eIJ5n3L5G
— Yas Marina Circuit (@ymcofficial) June 24, 2021
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit has routinely been criticised since it was first added to the F1 calendar in 2009.
Scrutiny of the layout has only intensified during Abu Dhabi’s run as the final round of the season, a spot it has occupied every year since 2014, and last year Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took a lights-to-flag win unchallenged while there was precious little overtaking throughout the field beyond offset strategies.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the changes will “for sure” give the drivers the chance to “maximise the the show”.
