Motorsports

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS: F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview

Words Jim Davis | November 10, 2010
The final race of the 2010 Formula One World Championship takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, November 14
Words Jim Davis November 10, 2010

The final race of the 2010 Formula One World Championship takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, November 14. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the home race of Aabar, shareholders in the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team, is Formula One’s only twilight race with the floodlights at the spectacular 5.5km Yas Marina Circuit allowing the race to start at 17:00hrs.

Mercedes-Benz Stats (including customer teams)

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Total (since 1954)
Grand Prix Starts 1 301
Wins 82
Podiums 1 232
Points Scoring Positions 2 442
Grand Prix Points 11 2697
Fastest Laps 87
Pole Positions 1 81

Yas Marina Circuit Stats

Circuit Length: 5.554 km
Race Distance: 305.355 km
Number of Laps: 55
Full Throttle: 60% Brake Wear: High
Tyre Compounds: Super Soft/Medium Downforce Level: High 8/10
Tyre Usage: Medium Average Speed: 188kph (117mph)

NICO ROSBERG

“I really enjoyed our first visit to the Yas Marina Circuit at the end of last season. The track is interesting to drive with a unique layout with the unusual pit lane exit and the day/night programme makes a change from the usual format of a race weekend. It was good to be back in the points in Brazil last Sunday and we hope to finish the season with another good result here before looking ahead to next season which will definitely be stronger for us.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

“We had quite an encouraging weekend in Sao Paulo, even if it did not show too much to the outside, as our pace in qualifying and the race was satisfying. The final race weekend in Abu Dhabi will be exciting for me as I will be driving this impressive circuit for the first time. Obviously the main focus of the fans and the media will be on the championship fight so we will be able to work calmly and concentrate on our own weekend. I’m sure that everyone in the team is motivated to deliver a good last performance of the season.”

ROSS BRAWN

“The final race of the 2010 season takes us to the home Grand Prix for our Abu Dhabi based shareholders and partner Aabar. We were extremely impressed with the Yas Marina Circuit on our first visit and look forward to an exciting weekend which will see the battle for the Drivers’ Championship concluded. For the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team, on the back of our double-points finish in Brazil, we would like to finish this challenging season on an equally strong note before turning our attentions fully to next year.”

NORBERT HAUG

“We are all looking forward to a thrilling final race of a great season which still sees four drivers with a chance of competing for the championship. Abu Dhabi is one of our team’s home races as our shareholder and partner, Aabar, have their headquarters here. Our team will not be taking anything for granted and our target is to achieve the best possible result with our current technical package. As in recent races, we want to be right there if a driver in one of the currently faster cars should have a problem. It would be a nice reward for the team to conclude this very long and tough season, which saw everyone give their all, with a reasonable result.”