First race: 2009
Total number of race laps: 55
Complete race distance: 305.355 kilometers (189.739 miles)
Circuit length: 5.554km/3.451 miles
Pit lane speed limit: 80 kph (50 mph)
Pitlane length: 360m/0.224 miles, estimated time loss 22s
Turns: 21
Fastest corner: 260km/h (162mph), Turn Two
Slowest corner: 72km/h (45mph), Turn Seven
Distance to Turn One: 300m/0.186 miles
Longest straight: 1.2km/0.746 miles, on the approach to turn eight
Key corner: Turn Seven, a non-descript left-hand hairpin. But for all its benign characteristics, the corner is crucial because the longest straight on the lap follows. You need a good exit to maximise what becomes the first DRS zone and one of the best overtaking opportunities on the lap
Top speed: 335km/h/208mph, on the approach to Turn Eight
Full throttle: 60 per cent
DRS zones: Two, on the approach to Turns Eight and 11
Fuel consumption: 1.81kg per lap, which is relatively high
ERS demands: Medium. There are several slow corners around the lap where ERS deployment is crucial at the exit. But there are lots of braking zones around the lap in which to regain energy under braking
Brake wear: High. There are 13 braking zones around the lap, which means 18 per cent of the lap is spent braking. Braking forces peak at 5.09g on the approach to Turn Eight
Gear changes: 68 per lap/3,740 per race
Grip levels: Medium
A lap around the Yas Marina Circuit…
Coming down into turn one, 90-degree corner, very nice entry starting the lap. You approach with full speed in turns two, three and four, which is almost flat out. Approaching into turn five, you enter with a lot of speed, going deep into the braking but, at the same time, optimizing the line into turn six and preparing everything for the hairpin in turn seven, which is one of the most important exits of all. Coming down into one of the longest straights of the track, down into turn eight, very high braking, it’s important to be very consistent between (turns) eight and nine, keeping a very nice balance. You always try to get the nice traction out of turn nine, which is always quite tricky. Coming down through turn 10 into turn 11 for the chicane, which is quite an interesting corner. You want to get the right apex at turn 11 because it’s important to then follow through (turns) 12 and 13. A very challenging corner is (turn) 14 because you have off-banking, which makes the car slide a bit. It’s quite tricky. You come flat out into turns 15 and 16 and you brake with a lot of lateral braking, which is usually quite important to set the brakes correctly. Turn 17 is a 90-degree corner, and (turns) 18 and 19 are a bit similar to (turn) 14 which is a bit off-banking, so it’s quite challenging to get the right grip. Very high-speed corner into (turn) 20, medium- to high-speed corner, which is important to have a good rhythm. Then you come into (turn) 21 with the tyres completely overheated and trying to get the right grip for the exit onto the start-finish line.
