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 South Circuit in Yas Marina has a 1.47-mile (2.36-km) trajectory covering the southern part of the Grand Prix Circuit, with six ninety-degree turns and a long sweeper, as well as several multi-apex turns. This layout is usually run clockwise, in the opposite direction of the Grand Prix Circuit, and has an average speed of 74 mph (119 km an hour), with an average lap time of 1:11.