Abu Dhabi onboard footage

[jab]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikvjwBEYk50

What an incredible circuit this is going to be. The best of everything - big grandstands, a street circuit section, the potential for plenty of overtaking and good race, a fantastic setting, loads of quirky features, a unique start time. This race is going to have it all. I really can't wait

[strider]

That's a really good clip and tidily driven by Bruno, who now knows more about the place than any current F1 driver, although DC and Martin Brundle are also in on the act.

No doubt we shall be seeing plenty more footage this weekend.

[Peralta]

Uninspiring, dull and boring layout. Great facilities however. We shall see but it reminds me of Valencia and we know how boring that track is.

[strider]

I can tell you one thing, though, and that is that it will be hard on the brakes and possibly suit KERS-assisted cars.

[Steven Humphrey]

Looks a fairly interesting circuit, with some good high speed corners but a few bog standard chicanes. The setting looks awesome though-I wonder how much a room is at the circuit hotel for the race weekend?! I just hope it gives a good race and isn't another Valencia or Singapore-ie fantastic to look at but not good to race on.

[jab]

Originally Posted by strider

I can tell you one thing, though, and that is that it will be hard on the brakes and possibly suit KERS-assisted cars.

Definitely a KERS circuit - hairpin-straight-hairpin-straight-hairpin. Very stop-start. But I love the look of turn 15/16/17 - triple-apex right hander that F1 cars will be carrying serious speed through

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2009/1...uit-abu-dhabi/

[RaiseYourFist]

Looks terrible, a bunch of chicanes followed by long straights in the middle of huge parking lot next to a hotel.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by RaiseYourFist

Looks terrible, a bunch of chicanes followed by long straights in the middle of huge parking lot next to a hotel.

Optimism what a wonderful feeling..you say your bit, after all it's your right to do so..

[Big Mac]

Nice concept. Shame about Turn 5/6. It would have been great if that had been a straight run into 7 with the grandstand-over-run off set up like turn 8, big hairpin then up off the long straight.

[crmalcolm]

I'm definitely interested to see how the racing pans out there. It seems impressive at the moment, my main concern is the amount of dust at the track - if this makes anything off line dirty, will overtaking be possible?

[ECW Dan Selby]

Track looks pretty elementary to me, bar the triple apex which is really interesting. 2 very high speed turns into a slightly slower one. We'll see plenty of cars running wide there!

Love the surroundings, and the pit exit for that matter

Well, if anything, there's no excuses for no overtaking.........

Selby

[nickyf1]

A tight twisty Kart track with a bunch of gimmicks at the sides of the track. This is what F1 is becoming people! I mean common! They are using the optional chicanes, like F1 drivers cant be trusted with a ''fast'' straight. Its pretty much just a track where people get distracted from the dull racing F1 sometimes produces (and especialy this kind of Tilke-Drome) because ''oooooooohhh the hotel goes over the track isn't that lovely''.

[ECW Dan Selby]

It's true!!

"Zzzzzzz....... OOH, shiney!!"

Selby

--

But like I said, there's really no excuses for lack of overtaking. This track may be alot of things, but it certainly has overtaking opportunities aplenty.

[jab]

Originally Posted by nickyf1

A tight twisty Kart track with a bunch of gimmicks at the sides of the track. This is what F1 is becoming people! I mean common! They are using the optional chicanes, like F1 drivers cant be trusted with a ''fast'' straight. Its pretty much just a track where people get distracted from the dull racing F1 sometimes produces (and especialy this kind of Tilke-Drome) because ''oooooooohhh the hotel goes over the track isn't that lovely''.

But if it didn't have the gimmicks, you'd be complaining that it was dull and boring with no unique features, like Shanghai or Sakhir. Imagine the Nordschliefe without trees, for instance, or Monaco without the buildings

And I doubt the optional chicanes are for safety

[MrTTraces]

Nice track. I'll like it more in a few years when 1) everything has bedded in so to speak and doesn't look so shiney and new, and 2) when the track has a bit of racing history behind it.

Love the pit exit.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Yeh I must say the pit exit is incredible!

Selby

[sizzle]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

This track may be alot of things, but it certainly has overtaking opportunities aplenty.

Do you really think so. We shall see.

[ECW Dan Selby]

I rekon so. I see no reason why people can't have a stab down the inside of some of those chicanes/tight turns.

Selby

[sizzle]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

I rekon so. I see no reason why people can't have a stab down the inside of some of those chicanes/tight turns.

Selby

Hmm we shall see but I don't think so.

Can't wait for the first goose to give it too much welly in the pit exit and hit the wall.

[Marbot]

We shouldn't really blame any track for a lack of overtaking opportunities in F1,particularly when in all probability the GP2 race will be a cracker at the circuit in question.

I have to say it looks 'different'....and 'different' is good.

[werner]

Hmmm, my first impression is a bit mediocre. Very stop start, and indeed the feeling of a large parkinglot. The technical bit with the tripleapex is good though. As is the fact that the track is clearly divided in a part that is slow and has hardly any significant straight and another part that is a few straights in a short time. It will be interesting to see wich car performes best on wich part of the track.
What can I say more. The buildings etc. offcourse look shiny and weird, but what do you expect from some Arab sheiks who are so insecure that they cannot help but show the world that they are rich.

[chillibowl]

imo looks very promising. some interesting sections as mentioned earlier and cant wait to see the drivers challenge it in anger.

the pit lane exit is cool and some of the undulations combined with evening/night race means sparks so good times.

thanks for the video link jab

[nickyf1]

Originally Posted by jab

But if it didn't have the gimmicks, you'd be complaining that it was dull and boring with no unique features, like Shanghai or Sakhir. Imagine the Nordschliefe without trees, for instance, or Monaco without the buildings

And I doubt the optional chicanes are for safety

I AM complaining that it is dull and boring! You could have a track in a city and it could be boring (Valencia...) You could have a track in a forrest that can be boring too.

It pretty much has the same idea behind Shanghai, squiggle down a line on a bit of paper, add chicanes, now put semi-futuristic buildings around it, pay Bernie £10,000,000,000,000,000,000 or whatever and make fans pay extortionate amounts of money to go watch some drivers in sigle seaters NOT racing, because someones put a bloody chicane before the main overtaking point.

[jab]

Originally Posted by nickyf1

I AM complaining that it is dull and boring!

Exactly. You're whinging about the track being gimmicky and yet if there were no gimmicks you'd be whinging as well because it would be dull with no standout features

[MrTTraces]

calm down children! Its only a circuit!