Yas Marina Circuit, Racing Circuit

Yas Marina Circuit sits on the man-made Yas Island, a short distance east of the city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Designed by Hermann Tilke and reputedly built at a cost of around a billion dollars, it opened in 2009 and has staged the season-closing Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ever since, typically run as a dusk-into-night event under a permanent floodlighting system that is among the largest of any sports venue in the world. Its signature feature is the futuristic marina-side hotel that the track threads directly beneath, lit by a colour-changing LED skin that forms a glittering backdrop as daylight fades. A pit-lane exit running through a tunnel under the circuit and fully covered grandstands are among its other distinctive touches. In its original 5.554 km, 21-corner form the layout was criticised for its stop-start rhythm and the difficulty of overtaking despite long straights. Ahead of the 2021 finale a reconfiguration by Mrk1 Consultants reworked the north hairpin, the hotel section and the southern marina, replacing a cluster of corners with a single long, gently banked curve and trimming the lap to 5.281 km over 16 turns. That 2021 race became one of the most dramatic title deciders in the sport's history, settling the championship in Max Verstappen's favour over Lewis Hamilton on the final lap. Beyond Formula One the venue has hosted GP2, the FIA GT1 World Championship, V8 Supercars and endurance events including a 12-hour sportscar race.

Operated by: Yas Marina Circuit LLC (owned by Abu Dhabi government)