07/11/2011
NEWS STORY
Rubens Barrichello: Abu Dhabi is a great race and although some people say that overtaking was not easy there the last two years, this year with DRS I think we will have some really good racing. The track is very exciting for drivers. Turns 2 and 3 make a very special combination of high speed corners with the last part of the track a very tricky sequence of low speed and technical corners. I enjoy going to Abu Dhabi and I'm looking to score some more points before heading to the last race of the season in Brazil.
Pastor Maldonado: The Yas Marina Circuit has a very interesting combination of corners, mostly slow speed with one fast section right at the start of the lap. It is quite a long lap and tyre degradation is usually quite high. Although it is a fairly new track, the team has lots of data from both the races and test here last year. I enjoyed the Young Driver test there in 2010 as well as racing in GP2, so I also know the track. Abu Dhabi is a really nice place to visit with great fans.
Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: Early preparation for the 55 lap Abu Dhabi race has gone well. The Yas Marina Circuit is a medium aerodynamic efficiency track, with a real mix of long straights and relatively tight, low mean speed corners, which in turn puts a great deal of energy through the braking system. We are expecting low 30 degree C ambient temperatures with track temperatures rising into the low 40 degree C so we will have to run a relatively 'open' cooling package. Fuel consumption at the race is medium to high, but the actual fuel effect on lap-time is average. Pirelli are bringing their medium and soft tyres to this race, with these tyres being last used together at the Japanese Grand Prix.