ETIHAD AIRWAYS UNITED STATES GP BRAZILIAN GP
ABU DHABI GP
RACE DATE:
RACE DATE:
RACE DATE:
3 NOVEMBER
CIRCUIT NAME:
YAS MARINA CIRCUIT
With its dynamic circuit architecture
and twilight racing, the Etihad
Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix looks
like a race set in the distant future.
Boasting average speeds of nearly
200 km/h, the circuit comprises a
street section, marina section and
high-speed section. In the middle
of the track is the Yas Marina hotel,
a colour-changing architectural
wonder that looks a bit like a brace
of alien heads that could launch
an unprovoked attack.
Lotus F1 Team’s Kimi
Räikkönen won here brilliantly
in 2012, having qualified fourth.
17 NOVEMBER
CIRCUIT NAME:
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
24 NOVEMBER
CIRCUIT NAME:
AUTODROMO JOSE CARLOS PACE
After a five year hiatus, the United
States Grand Prix came screeching
back onto the F1 calendar in 2012
at a new purpose-built location: the
Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Not only did the southern city charm
the paddock, the track was met with
universal applause. The challenging,
20-turn, anti-clockwise circuit has a
thrilling mix of fast esses, hairpins,
long straights and high speed corners.
Perhaps most unique is the first turn, a
tight and slightly banked right-hander
which is as steep as a mountain and for
which the drivers brake terrifyingly late.
Formula One is massively popular in
Brazil, and the grandstands are the
loudest that you’ll find at any track,
with fans cheering and banging their
samba drums. Interlagos serves up
some excellent corners and severe
gradient changes, which make set-up
a challenge – the focus is on optimal
aerodynamic efficiency. An even more
challenging aspect are the notorious
bumps, which have a huge effect on the
cars at speed, and require a high rideheight and soft suspension settings.
The Interlagos track is very abrasive,
so harder compound tires are a must.
The high altitude and thin air sap around
eight percent of an engine’s power
over a lap.
Last year’s inaugural race was
won by Lewis Hamilton and
McLaren, while Lotus F1 Team
got both cars in the points, Kimi
Räikkönen sixth and Romain
Grosjean seventh.
Kimi Räikkönen, who won the
world championship with victory
here in 2007, scored one point for
Lotus F1 Team in Brazil last year.