F1™ Concerts & Entertainment Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2016

In an atmosphere of glamour and luxury lifestyle and events where fashionistas and bloggers, among the most interesting we interviewed the beautiful fashion blogger Zeynab El-Helw aka @fashion_pirate, were at top we had the chance to participate to the most interesting sport event of the region.

Less than two seconds covered the top four at the chequered flag as Hamilton ignored instructions from the Mercedes pit wall to up his pace in the closing laps. Daniel Ricciardo followed his Red Bull team mate home, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen taking sixth ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. Williams’ Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso completed the top ten.

The start saw the two Mercedes lead off the line, with Hamilton heading Rosberg, as Raikkonen passed Ricciardo for third. Things got worse for Red Bull as Verstappen, in sixth, ran out of room exiting Turn 1 and spun after making light contact with Hulkenberg.

That forced the team to switch the Dutchman to a one-stop strategy as he fell to last place, and would have its effect later on.

Hamilton and Rosberg moved clear until their first pit stops, respectively on the seventh and eighth laps, after which Hamilton led again but with Verstappen having risen to second ahead of Rosberg.

The German was then content to follow him for the next 12 laps before finally slicing by the Red Bull, with a closely-fought but crucial pass. After that he got the throttle down, cutting a 5.8s gap to Hamilton to 3.1s by the time they stopped again, on laps 28 and 29.

That was when Hamilton was forced to try to back up his team mate, as he needed him to finish fourth or worse, and the gap came down to less than a second thereafter as the outgoing champion did all he could to let Ferrari and Red Bull catch up.

When Ferrari kept Vettel out until lap 37 before switching him to supersoft tyres, when everyone else was running softs, the German suddenly became the dangerman.

He passed team mate Raikkonen for fifth on the 41st lap, then set out after Ricciardo, who was having a subdued run in fourth. He passed the Red Bull on lap 47, and that set up the final showdown.

On his worn softs – he had pitted on lap 21 – Verstappen just wasn’t able to get closer than within three seconds of Rosberg as Hamilton continued to lap at a relatively slow pace despite being implored – and at times directly told – to speed up by his Mercedes bosses.

Vettel eventually out-dragged Verstappen’s Red Bull on the 51st lap, and Hamilton, Rosberg and he then circulated nose to tail. They were having kittens at Mercedes, especially as Hamilton told them quite trenchantly that if he was losing the world championship he didn’t particularly care if he lost the race as well.

In the end, of course, he was never going to do that. He did everything that he could, and crossed the finish line 0.4s ahead after 55 laps to score his 10th win of the season, the 53rd of his career – and to lose his world title.

Rosberg kept his cool despite the pressure from Vettel, but said it had been tough.

“That definitely wasn’t the most enjoyable race I’ve ever had!” he admitted. “With Max early on, and then with these guys coming at the end, it definitely wasn’t fun. I’m just really glad it’s over!”

For Vettel, third was a decent way to finish the season, with Verstappen taking fourth from his team mate and the distant Raikkonen.

Hulkenberg took a fine seventh for Force India, and with team mate Sergio Perez eighth Force India easily secured their fourth position in the constructors’ stakes. But Perez only just got home ahead of the fighting Williams of Felipe Massa, who signed off on his F1 career by maintaining his record of scoring points in each Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he has competed, and Fernando Alonso, who took the final point for McLaren.

Alonso’s team mate Jenson Button was in contention for points in his final Grand Prix, until a right-front suspension failure put him out after a heavy kerb contact. He was joined in retirement by the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz, Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Renault’s Kevin Magnussen.

Outside of the points, Romain Grosjean led outgoing Haas team mate Esteban Gutierrez home in 11th and 12th after a race-long fight, as an equally intense intra-team fight between Esteban Ocon and Pascal Wehrlein ended in the Frenchman’s favour after they had a brief collision. Likewise, Marcus Ericsson narrowly led home Sauber partner Felipe Nasr in 15th and 16th, as Jolyon Palmer was the final finisher, penalised five seconds after a collision with Sainz.

Afterwards, Hamilton shook hands with the man who has taken his crown, and they hugged on the podium.

“Winning the championships is a great feeling, Hamilton said as he congratulated his team mate, “and I’m looking forward to fighting with him for it again next year.”

Rosberg, meanwhile, looked forward to celebrating with his father Keke and mother Sina, and did so in the moment with his wife Vivian, on the greatest day of his racing career. It would, he admitted, take some time before it really sank in.

Entry to the concerts is for F1 ticket holders only

Post-Race Concerts
Entry tickets include access to the post-race concert (for the relevant day). Friday will see The Chemical Brothers take to the stage to kick off the F1 weekend. Rihanna will be closing the event with a performance on Sunday. Two remaining artists are yet to be announced.

#AbuDhabiGP ticket holders can experience FREE ACCESS to Yas Island Parks: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi & Yas Waterworld as well as live music at the #AbuDhabiGP Yasalam After-Race Concerts featuring The Chemical Brothers on Friday and superstar Rihanna on Sunday with more artists to be shortly announced. All on top of the VIP parties for F1®’s top stars make this the uncontested social and sporting occasion of the year.

Post-Race Concerts: 

International music superstars will not so much light up the night skies for the Yasalam after-race concerts, as set them ablaze. All race viewing tickets include access to the post-race concerts (for the relevant day).
For the eighth year in a row, this year’s Yasalam After-Race Concerts, for 2016 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX ticket holders only, will run for three nights and feature a stellar line-up.

• Friday, November 25: The Chemical Brothers take to the stage to kick off the F1 weekend
• Saturday, November 26: Global superstar Lionel Richie will take to the du Arena stage
• Sunday, November 27: Rihanna will be closing the event with a performance on Sunday

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
25 NOVEMBER – YAS ISLAND

Kicking off the weekend in top electric style is legendary duo The Chemical Brothers brought to you by du Live! on Friday, November 25th.World-renowned legends of electronic music will take to the du Arena stage for fans to witness how they have redefined the idea of live electronic music over the past two decades. Composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, the duo’s synergy has driven their musical ascent from dark London nightclubs, into one of the most in-demand festival headline sets in the world. Four time Grammy award winners, their infectious anthems have also garnered a Brit Award and MTV Europe Music Award. Added to their accolades are six number one albums and 13 top 20 singles.Known for producing an unmatched live experience, race ticket holders are sure to enjoy the weekend with a visually stunning, full live performance.This event is exclusive to #AbuDhabiGP ticket holders. You can purchase your F1 tickets at

LIONEL RICHIE
26 NOVEMBER 

Lionel Richie is the last piece of the puzzle.The RnB great is the final act announced as part of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix after-race concerts at Yas Island’s du Arena.The All Night Long singer is booked to perform on November 26, a day after veteran dance duo Chemical Brothers and a day before the race-day concert featuring pop queen Rihanna.”I am so thrilled to be performing all the hits at the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yasalam After-Race concert on Saturday,” Richie said via video link. “You will see me performing live at the biggest sporting event in the Middle East. Along with the Chemical Brothers and Rihanna, this is gearing up to be one of the most incredible weekends ever. We are going to have a party all night long.”

RIHANNA
27 NOVEMBER – YAS ISLAND

This year brings a high-octane musical experience sure to keep the du Arena crowds cheering with the baddest girl out of Barbados, Rihanna, brought to you by du Live! announced for Sunday, November 27th.
Performing in Abu Dhabi as the only Middle East date on her 40-show and multi-continent ‘ANTI WORLD TOUR’, the modern icon of music, fashion and entertainment, Rihanna, continues to break records and set trends with her musical style and intrinsic collaborative genius.
The top-selling digital artist of all time and with 54 million albums sold, the fan love is in no shortage and sure to follow the 8-time Grammy Award winning performer as she greets the Yasalam After-Race crowd in Abu Dhabi.

For the fifth time this year, the UAE capital hosts F1®’s only twilight race. In addition this November’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix features GP2, GP3 and Porch Mobile 1 Supercup as support races. Off-track, tug event’s rich entertainment offering shows Abu Dhabi at its most glamorous, making this weekend the uncontested social and sporting occasion of the year.

ABOUT YAS MARINA CIRCUIT
At the heart of Yas Island, this stunning facility includes a 5.55km Formula 1® track, where races are driven anti-clockwise and drivers are challenged with 21 different turns (12 left turns and nine right turns).

For three days each year, the track delivers the roar of Formula 1® racing to packed grandstands. At other times, it entertains a host of premium motorsport events, from Yas Drag Racing, Yas Drift Nights to local motor racing events sanctioned under the newly created Yas Motor Racing Club. The circuit also hosts driving experiences at the Yas Racing School, Karting at the Kartzone.

Key facts

• Longest straight on any current F1® circuit (1,173 metres).
• The only circuit in the world to feature five grandstands with every seat covered
• Home to the world’s only F1® twilight race – the FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX is a day and night race
• It can hold more than 55,000 spectators
• The circuit can operate as two independent, fully functioning tracks (3.15km and 2.36km) and several other circuit configurations.
• The full circuit configuration is 5.55km.
• All races held at Yas Marina Circuit race in an anti-clockwise direction.
• 30 pit garages in the support pits located within the Marina Grandstand.
• 40 pit garages in the main pit building within the Main Grandstand.

More on Yas Island:

• Hotels (the iconic five-star Yas Viceroy and six Yas Plaza hotels)
• Yas Links golf course
• Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
• Yas Waterworld
• Yas Marina
• Yas Beach
• Yas Express

Thursday

• Public Pit Lane Walk
• F1® Village open
• Yas Kartzone
• Yas Marina access

Inside track: Get a sneak peek at the teams as they prepare for a weekend of mind-blowing racing action. The pit lane walk is exclusive to three-day ticket holders. Don’t forget to swing by the F1® Village and experience all the fun ahead of everybody else.

Friday

• F1® practice sessions
• Support race practice sessions
• GP2, GP3 & Porsche Cup final practice sessions
• Full access to the F1® Village and Oasis areas
• Access to Yas Marina
• After-Race Concert: TBC

Inside track: Don’t miss the F1® cars touching the track for the first time – it’s your chance to follow their progress and pick your favourites for the race day. Also, keep your eyes and ears open for those GP2, GP3 and Porsches as they tear up the circuit.

Saturday

• F1® qualifying sessions
• GP2, GP3 & Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Cup final qualifying sessions
• Full access to F1® Village and Oasis areas
• After-Race Concert: TBC

Inside track: The F1® Village is in full swing and the Formula 1® qualifiers decide who will be in pole position. Great party ‘feel’ throughout the whole day – setting the stage for Sunday’s big race.

Sunday, Race Day!
2016 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

• Podium presentations
• GP2, GP3 & Porsche Cup final
• Full access to F1® Village and Oasis areas
• Access to Yas Marina
• After-Race Concert:TBC

OFF-TRACK ACTIONFamily fun at the Oasis Entertainment areas

Exclusive Pit Lane walks for ticketholders
Here’s an unmissable opportunity for F1® fans! Ticketholders can watch the teams up-close on Thursday afternoon’s Public Pit Lane walk. In addition, Formula One Paddock Club® ticketholders will be offered their own privileged pit lane timings, while Marina Box ticket holders will receive an exclusive support Races Pit lane walk on Thursday afternoon.

After-Race Concerts
F1® ticket holders have complimentary access to up to four spectacular After-Race Concerts at du Arena during the race weekend.

Etihad Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula 1 Reportage Part 1

Enjoy the first part of this reportage

Interviews by: Lenka Josefiova