Adam’s Travel Report – 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Adam Rosales returns with one other journey report, this time overlaying his maiden journey to the season-ending 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.

Yas Marina Circuit

Yas Marina Circuit nonetheless appears like one in every of Formulation 1’s latest circuits, though it’s really been round since 2009. Taking up as the ultimate race of the 12 months from Interlagos in Brazil was all the time going to be a tough act to comply with, however the circuit additionally had a status for not all the time delivering probably the most thrilling racing. Adjustments to the monitor forward of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have undoubtedly helped enhance the spectacle since then, and I personally witnessed a few of the finest overtakes I’ve seen reside since beginning to go to races.

Chances are you’ll bear in mind the clip from final 12 months’s race when Lewis Hamilton overtook George Russell on the ultimate lap because the fireworks began to go off within the background. I noticed that from the South grandstand and it was much more spectacular in individual. Being there to witness Hamilton shut out his profession with Mercedes in such a method was a particular second.

2024 Season Sandwich

I wasn’t planning on attending the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, since I had already been to fairly a number of different races throughout the season, notably Bahrain, Suzuka, Zandvoort and Brazil. Sarcastically, it was the brand new mates I’d constituted of organizing meetups at races final 12 months that contributed to me reserving Abu Dhabi – in addition to the prospect of an excellent championship battle, in fact.

The group chat we’d created in Bahrain obtained bigger as new mates joined in, and a few pleasant peer stress throughout our meetup in Zandvoort pushed me into in search of flight offers to Abu Dhabi. As soon as I’d made my plans to attend the race, our group chat was renamed “2024 Season Sandwich” to indicate the truth that we had been going to the primary and final races of the season.

Flying from Austin to Dubai

I discovered flights that minimized days off work and price me solely $850 USD return, but it surely was undoubtedly a ‘flying go to’. I departed from my house airport in Austin on Thursday evening and arrived in Dubai late the next night. I missed the monitor motion on Friday however was in a position to attend the final two days of the race weekend earlier than my flight house from Dubai at 2am on Monday morning. I returned house to Austin at 5pm on Monday night.

I flew with KLM, direct from Austin to Amsterdam. The layover in Amsterdam was about 4 hours; the proper period of time to get some breakfast, take a bathe and have a beer on the KLM Crown Lounge earlier than boarding my second flight to Dubai.

The journey took about 20 hours every method. It’s a protracted solution to go for the weekend, but it surely was nicely value it! Since KLM is a part of the Skyteam alliance, my Delta Platinum Medallion allowed me to decide on KLM’s Economic system Consolation seats for no additional price. The additional legroom helped lots, as did the free entry to the Skyteam airport lounges. I ate, drank and showered without spending a dime on the lounges. Having a shower is the very best ‘reset’ for me after I fly in a single day and want to start out a brand new day. It’s my #1 journey tip for longer journeys like this one.

Yas Marina Circuit Group

This monitor appears like its personal metropolis, particularly because it has a lodge throughout the circuit (and extra shut by), together with a mall close by and a number of other theme parks. A round bus service operates between the sights on the island, and also will drop you off at your designated entrance gate.

As soon as inside, there’s loads of distributors for meals, drinks and staff merchandise. I entered through the South grandstand and located the world between the south and marina grandstands (often known as the South & Marina Oasis) was food and drinks distributors, and in addition had a stage the place that they had music and interviews with F1 Academy drivers. It was fairly heat within the solar throughout the center of the day. The umbrellas on the tables made an enormous distinction but it surely was nonetheless a sweaty afternoon!

South Grandstand Views

I bought a weekend ticket (Saturday & Sunday) for the South Grandstand from P1 Journey for €650 EUR ($765 USD) and was positively shocked by the quantity of monitor motion at this part. I used to be assigned an higher stage seat and with the 2021 monitor adjustments, this space supplied a few of the finest views of any circuit I’ve been to for medium to excessive pace overtakes.

Most circuits that present grandstand views of overtakes are typically on the slower corners however this sooner part highlighted the attributes of the completely different vehicles and the completely different driving traces. You may see drivers lining up their strikes alongside the again straight and making them stick into Flip 11. South Grandstand additionally supplied views of the gradual part beneath the W Resort. I obtained to witness some loopy mid-corner switchback overtakes and naturally the last-lap transfer by Lewis Hamilton on George Russell. I’ll always remember how the gang erupted for that. (Take a look at Adam’s video of the go right here).

Ticket Checks

One tedious factor in regards to the group at Yas Marina was the ticket test to get into the grandstand. Proper earlier than qualifying the scanners stopped working, so the attendants had been holding all people again on the similar time the session was about to start out. Individuals finally obtained annoyed and simply pushed by way of the turnstiles. I ended up discovering a path to enter by way of the restaurant on the backside of the stand with out having to scan your ticket. I ended up utilizing this every time I returned to the grandstand.

I didn’t attend the concert events however one draw back I heard was that the South/Marina space was pretty distant from the live performance space. The concert events required a wristband to enter, which was handed all through the occasion and simple to get. However for a preferred artist like Eminem, they did run out pretty early within the day. In the event you plan on going to the concert events, hold an eye fixed out for the wristbands being handed out on the Ask Yas factors close to the entry gates and in every of the fan zones (Oasis areas).

Meals & Drinks at Yas Marina

There have been at the very least a dozen completely different meals distributors within the Marina & South Oasis between the 2 grandstands. Primary stadium fare like hamburgers or rooster tenders with fries was out there, in addition to native, vegan and vegetarian choices. Strains had been pretty minimal and the service was fast. Costs had been cheap, costing round 60-80 AED ($16-22 USD) for a meal. A pint of Heineken price 60 AED ($16 USD), which was dear. Water was low-cost at 5 AED ($1.25 USD). I used to be shocked to see liquor and wine choices out there.

Attending to Yas Marina Circuit

I had organized a driver to choose me up through the service welcome pickups after touchdown at Dubai Airport. I communicated with the service through WhatsApp upfront and was met with an indication that had my identify on it on the arrivals exit. I used to be proven the best way to my driver and was on the lodge about 20 minutes later.

I booked 2 nights at Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor Metropolis for 1780 AED ($485 USD). It helped lots having mates attending this weekend and staying in Dubai. They supplied to provide me a experience to and from Yas Marina Circuit, which took about an hour every method.

Driving appeared pretty simple and there’s loads of freed from free parking at Yas Mall, plus shuttle buses to get you from the parking space to the grandstand areas. It’s value being conscious of the zero tolerance legal guidelines for drink driving within the UAE and it undoubtedly helps to have a chosen driver. You may as well take a taxi, which prices round $80-100 USD every method; not unhealthy for those who break up with a number of mates. The draw back of taxis was that it was taking round two hours to get one after the race. It wasn’t a lot faster to depart the parking and island, taking 1-2 hours. The heaviest site visitors was after the concert events every night.

After the race, our group met up for a number of drinks and to debate the race, since all of us had completely different grandstands over the weekend. I didn’t wish to keep too lengthy, nonetheless, as I used to be already nervous about lacking my 2am flight from Dubai. Fortunately, I had loads of time to get again to Dubai, swing by the lodge to choose up my luggage and get to the airport. I even had time to take pleasure in a late-night meal within the Skyteam Lounge earlier than boarding. I ended up falling asleep earlier than takeoff and awakened with 4 hours to go earlier than touchdown in Amsterdam.

I had a couple of 5 hour layover, which allowed me to comply with my regular journey routine of a meal and bathe earlier than boarding my final flight house. I obtained fortunate with an improve supply to KLM World Enterprise for $600 USD. It was an 11 hour flight and this value was nicely beneath the $100 per hour threshold I usually use when contemplating enterprise class upgrades. The improve helped me make amends for sleep for about half the flight and arrive house in Austin feeling much less drained than I may have, contemplating the distances I coated the world over in only some days.

Visiting UAE

This journey was my second go to to the Center East and my first time leaving the airport in Dubai, reasonably than transiting. The whole lot felt very Western, with loads of acquainted eating places and outlets that yow will discover again in Austin, and even some traditional American vehicles on the street. Dubai is usually a little bit of a concrete jungle, however a few of the structure (like Burj Khalifa) is cool to see. Locals and vacationers are pleasant though I did expertise some folks making an attempt to chop the road for reception in my lodge. Slightly little bit of assertiveness might help in conditions like this!

Ultimate Ideas

General, I’d undoubtedly wish to revisit the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and spend extra time exploring town and being a vacationer. It wasn’t attainable this time as a result of my brief keep. A few of my mates did actions like skydiving, ziplining and indoor snowboarding, whereas some visited the statement deck at Burj Khalifa. It looks like there’s loads to do and costs are cheap. There are lots of methods to expertise the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, together with a lot of hospitality and yacht choices. However I’d be pleased to return and sit within the grandstands. The views had been good and the environment was full of life. If there’s a title battle that appears prefer it’s coming all the way down to the ultimate race at Abu Dhabi, I wouldn’t hesitate to guide the same journey once more. Subsequent time I’ll make sure to guide an additional couple of days!