Yas Marina Circuit North Chicane
The Yas Marina Circuit is an FIA Grade 1 raceway designed by the famous German track architect Hermann Tilke and operating since 2009 in Yas Island, the purpose-built leisure, shopping, entertainment center, and tourist attraction pole in Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Arab Emirates. Yas Marina has hosted the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from its inception in 2009, being also the last race in the F1 calendar, usually run in mid-November to cope with the extremely high temperatures of the hot Arabian desert. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the only Formula 1 race starting at dusk for the same reason, but the lighting and scenery of the track are ideal for providing top-notch entertainment for the audience at the venue and on TV.
The 3.45-mile (5.55-km), 21 turn Grand Prix circuit runs counterclockwise and results from the combination of two independent 1.47-mile (2.36-km) layouts, one at the northern half and the other at the southern half, that can host races simultaneously. The Yas Marina Circuit is technically demanding for drivers, with several multi-apex turns, sharp bents, and heavy braking sectors on its eastern part. The longest straightaway ends abruptly on a tight left-right turn combination leading to a long sweeper. Racing on this circuit rewards patient drivers who wait the right moments to overtake their opponents, as errors can easily lead to being left behind.
The North Chicane configuration at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi utilizes the northern sections with specific chicane elements to create a layout variant at UAE's flagship motorsport venue. This configuration emphasizes technical chicane sequences in the northern sectors, creating different setup priorities compared to variants that bypass these braking zones. The North Chicane serves events seeking specific technical characteristics at this Formula One facility.
Operating the North Chicane showcases Yas Marina's configuration versatility beyond the standard GP layout serving diverse event requirements. UAE's desert climate creates extreme temperatures with the facility's twilight-to-night racing format reducing heat stress. The North Chicane configuration provides technical challenges for driving experience customers and corporate events, offering variety through specific routing options at Abu Dhabi's premier motorsport destination.
