2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview

The 2013 Formula 1 titles are now well and truly wrapped up with Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing heading to Abu Dhabi as four time world champions.

(c) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

However, there isn't much time to reflect on their incredible achievements as the F1 paddock travels to the Yas Marina Circuit for the 17th round of the season.

(c) Sahara Force India F1 Team

The modern track debuted on the calendar in 2009 and immediately made an impact. It is truly unique, being the only day to night race on the calendar. Cars line up under the setting sun and take the chequered flag under starry skies. 

24 floodlights standing at 40 metres tall are used to create a seamless transition between night and day. The stunning Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Hotel also provides a stunning spectacle with its 5000 LED panel shell that changes colour throughout the night. It is the first new hotel in the world to be built over a race track.

Situated on Yas Island - a man-made island in Abu Dhabi - the circuit cost £800 million ($1.3 billion) to build and was granted permission to hold a Formula 1 race by the FIA on the 9th October.

2013 will be the fifth running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The F1 field head to the up-to-date facility off the back of an eventful Indian Grand Prix which saw Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing crowned champions once again.

Vettel is a two-time winner of the race after winning the inaugural round in 2009 and proving victorious once again 12 months later. The 2010 win propelled him to his first world title. He should have won the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but a puncture on the first lap caused his first retirement of the season.

(c) Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton inherited the race win and looked on course to do the same in 2012. However, a fuel pressure problem after 20 laps caused his retirement. This promoted popular Finn Kimi Raikkonen to the race win, although he crossed the line just 0.8 seconds clear of Fernando Alonso.

The pressure is now off Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel, but the battle for second is still closely fought with Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus all battling for the runner-up spot.

The track is a challenging one with a varied range of corners and plenty of long straights. A lap of the 3.450mile circuit starts with a run down the medium length pit straight. Turn one is a 90 degree left-hander that is taken in third gear. It is a tight corner that can catch drivers out at the start of the race.

A short straight follows before the fast sixth gear left that is turn two. This flat out corner leads on to the long right-hander of turn three, taken in sixth gear and at 254kph. Unusually, the pit exit feeds in to the third corner as it goes under the circuit at turn one.

It is the only track on the 2013 calendar that includes a tunnel in the pit exit. With the track being anticlockwise and the pit lane being on the right of the pit straight, the tunnelled exit enables cars to re-join the track on the left. Drivers have to negotiate a tight downhill hairpin and a left-hand kink to exit the pit area. 

(c) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Turn four is a barely-there corner that leads in to the second sector. The next three corners are tight and tricky with a big braking zone for the left-right chicane of turns five and six. It is a decent overtaking opportunity, particularly on the first lap, but the narrow track can cause contact (which we saw in 2010).

Turn seven is a second gear, 70kph hairpin. Good traction is vital for a good exit, in order to propel cars down the long back straight. Cars reach 316kph on the run to turn eight and spend 1,000 metres on full-throttle. This is where the first DRS zone is positioned, with the detection point coming just prior to the seventh corner.

Turn eight is a slow second gear hairpin that leads immediately on to the right of turn nine. This is arguably the strongest overtaking place on the circuit due to the heavy braking zone and the positioning of the DRS. The run-off area for the eighth corner actually runs under the large grandstand that is situated at the end of the straight. 

The second DRS zone arrives just after the turn 10 kink, giving drivers a good burst of speed on the following straight. Turns 11 and 12 make up a challenging left-right chicane that is immediately followed by a third gear left-hander. The large braking zone for the first apex provides another strong overtaking opportunity.

After the 110kph left of turn 14, the drivers are given a slight break before the hugely challenging triple-apex right that makes up turns 15 to 17. The first is taken flat out before speed is gradually scrubbed off for the final apex. 

(c) Getty Images

The next left takes cars under the illuminated Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Hotel with its unique design and changeable light panelling. Turn 19 is another left-hander that leads alongside the hotel and to the penultimate corner, a fast right. The final corner is a third-gear right-hander that leads on to the pit straight. The pit entry is to the right and undercuts the last turn. 

F1 won't be the only single seater action on track this weekend with the GP2 and GP3 cars completing their season finale as support races for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird go head to head for the GP2 title with Facu Regalia and Daniil Kvyat battling it out for the GP3 crown.

The big question now is, how long will Vettel's race winning streak last?

(c) AllF1

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fact-file: 
Location: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Track Length: 3.451 miles
Direction: Anticlockwise
Turns: 21
Laps: 55
Gear changes per lap: 68
Full throttle: 73%
First race: 2009
Lap record: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2010: 1m40.279
Tyre compounds: Soft and medium
2012 race winner: Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus F1 Team
2012 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, McLaren: 1m40.630
2012 fastest lap: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing: 1m43.954
Live on: Sky Sports F1 (Highlights BBC One)