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The expert explains English racing driver Johnny Herbert won three Grand Prix races during his Formula 1 career and now drives across the world in touring car and endurance series. With experience racing in the Middle East as part of the Speedcar series, he explains the main tests facing the drivers at Yas Marina Circuit… The Marina Circuit is a wonderful engineering feat and a very good circuit. It’s not just straight-line speed. It has challenges at high, medium and low speed, so it has a bit of everything. It’s the challenge of getting the high-speed corners absolutely right and getting the set-up correct for those corners. Also on the long, long straights, it has to be able to stop it in the shortest space of time. From the end of the back straight you’ve got fast right-handers as you come up to the hotel, then you go under the hotel and around the back, up to the start-finish line. The other difficult corners are the S turns after the start-finish. It’s always down to the car being balanced enough that you can use what you have in all those different corners. That’s where this year Red Bull have been able to get everything right, to use the car in the breaking zones where they need to really hammer the brakes. What’s going to be good this year is the DRS [Drag Reduction System, the adjustable rear wing introduced for the 2011 season]. It will actually make Abu Dhabi a better racetrack. Some people have been critical of there being no overtaking in Formula 1. Aerodynamic engineers were able to create cars that slide through the air and don’t create this messy air at the back, which enables drivers to slipstream. DRS is a good thing because it enables that effect to come back. I think we will see a lot more overtaking on these wonderful long straights in Abu Dhabi. The twilight element of the race is never really a big problem because the floodlights work so well going into dusk. It’s amazing how the human eye is able to adapt to these changing conditions. It just adds to the whole aura of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Shaf Raisi and Dantani are giving away a free promo CD to any What’s On readers who follow them on Twitter (@ shafraisi and @dantani)
RACING TRACKS Playing throughout race day during breaks in the motor sport action, official F1 DJs Shaf Raisi and Dantani provide the soundtrack to this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix…
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The top teams – Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari – have dominated the 2011 Formula 1 season. Indeed, no other team has scored a single race win going into the Indian Grand Prix, the precursor to Abu Dhabi. David Tremayne, hugely experienced Formula 1 correspondent with British newspaper The Independent and co-founder of Grand Prix + magazine, can’t see that changing at the Yas Marina Circuit. He picks out the main men to look out for…
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
Vettel is pretty bulletproof these days. He’s got over his hotheaded mistakes and smoothed out the rough edges from 2010. He’s got the best car in the field and is certainly at his most dangerous right now.
Jenson Button/Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
Are you looking forward to it? Dantani: I can’t wait. I’m super excited. I went to both the previous Grand Prixs but it’s going to be a different experience performing. Shaf Raisi: This is my third year. Every year it gets bigger and better. The crowd is fantastic. There’s a different energy level out there. It’s exhilarating. As Emiratis, is it especially exciting to represent your country? Dantani: It’s amazing. It gives us great pride and pleasure to be representing the UAE. Although it would be much cooler if the UAE or Abu Dhabi had its own F1 racing team. Will you be playing any Formula 1-related tunes? Shaf Raisi: I’m producing a track called Hit The Road especially for the Grand Prix. Are you big motor sport fans? Shaf Raisi: Yes. I’m a big fan of Jenson Button. I’ll be supporting him again this year. Dantani: I do watch it occasionally. Because I’m a big fan of Sir Richard Branson, I’ll be rooting for the Virgin team. shafraisi.com / dantani.net
The McLarens are going to be particularly strong. Both of them are going to be right up there. They look as though they’ve really turned a corner. Lewis should have won the race in 2009 and Jenson is in fantastic form at the moment.
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
Alonso is coming to Abu Dhabi with some past history to put to bed after his disappointment of missing out on winning the World Championship here last year. Never underestimate him.
The capital goes Formula 1 crazy over the Grand Prix weekend. Here are a handful of motorsport-loving events coinciding with the high-octane action at Yas Island… RACY ART Armin Flossdorf exhibits his Formula 1 art at Le Royal Meridién (November 9 to 13, free) and paints live during a special five-course dinner at the hotel’s Al Fanar restaurant (November 13, Dhs400). Le Royal Meridién, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6742020. leroyalmeridien.com FAST DEALS Abu Dhabi is abuzz during the F1, although thankfully not everywhere is fleecing its patrons during the city’s busiest weekend. Grab 20 per cent off drinks and bar snacks with race day happy hours at, discounts in the hour leading up to the main race at NRG, or a bucket of Mexican beer with nachos for Dhs125 at Amerigos. The Tavern, Sheraton, Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6773333. sheraton.com NRG, Le Meridién, Tourist Club Area, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6446666. lemeridienabudhabi.com Amerigos (Park Inn, Golf Plaza, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6562222. parkinn.com