Calls to change the Yas Marina Circuit are growing louder after another uneventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last Sunday.
Towards the front, Alex Albon’s early move on Lando Norris for fourth was the only change of position in the top six, while further down, only Renault’s disappointing qualifying allowed them to regain some places in the race.
On the whole, however, the order was mostly static or decided in the pitlane and even Daniel Ricciardo, who gained the most places for a single driver in P7 from P11 on the grid, was left disappointed.
“We know Abu Dhabi as a Sunday venue, it’s not always the most exciting race,” said the Australian. “It’s a shame because it is such a great venue, I certainly don’t want to talk the place down because I want to keep coming back here.
“Maybe we could play around with the layout because unfortunately on Sunday it is tricky. It’s sometimes a bit grim from an entertainment point of view.”
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In his post-race column for Sky Sports, ex-Formula 1 driver explained why the Yas Marina track typically disappoints.
“In theory, it should work well given that the turn seven hairpin is followed by a long straight, a slow chicane, another long straight and a slow double chicane,” he said
“The problem is there are simply too many off-camber corners which exacerbate the aerodynamic problems of following other aero-laden cars, and the first and third sectors are largely ‘follow the leader’. The final sector especially always demands tyre-temperature management.
“In four of the last six GPs here, the top three on the grid have finished in the same order and it’s the sixth consecutive Abu Dhabi race to be won from pole position,” Brundle noted. “This track also played a key role in the creation of the DRS rear wing concept after Fernando Alonso lost the 2010 World Championship in his Ferrari stuck behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault for most of the race.”
Changes to the final sector have been suggested before to improve the flow, although with the marina and hotel in that area the scope for significant alterations is low.
And the same is true in the first sector where the Turns 5 & 6 chicane is needed due to the lack of run-off area in front of the stadium-like grandstand.
However, Ricciardo’s teammate Esteban Ocon alluded to one feature Brundle mentioned which could be changed without having to alter the layout itself.
“I think having a bit more camber in the corners would help because they are all off-camber so you really slide,” said the Frenchman.
“Obviously it’s a challenge, but it’s not nice for following another car, it makes things tricky. I am pretty sure that we could do things [to make it] better but it requires work.
“At least I managed to overtake in the last lap. I did enjoy watching that,” joked Ocon. “But apart from that, I heard it was a bit boring, and yes it was very tough to overtake, it’s quite difficult to follow in the last sector.”
