Five Things to Know About the Abu Dhabi GP

For the first time in Formula 1 World Championship history, Round 24 has arrived as the sport ends its longest ever season.

The Abu Dhabi GP always seems to have a last day of school feeling around it, and we expect the same let-your-hair-down vibe over the next three days at Yas Marina.

Whether you're watching the antics from the grandstands or tuning in on television, here are five things to know about the finale.

Luke Browning will feature in Friday's first session as our Williams Racing Academy Driver steps in for Alex Albon.

It's quite the 2024 journey for Luke, who began the season in Formula 3, before jumping to Formula 2 after the F3 finale, and is now set for an F1 FP1.

2024 rules state that all 20 F1 cars must have their driver vacate their seat once over the season to allow a rookie time in the cockpit for an FP1 session.

It's a stellar opportunity for Luke to show those at the top what is possible, just as Franco Colapinto did during the British GP weekend for his first FP1.

More sessions will be possible in 2025, too, with the FIA increasing the number of sessions each car must field a rookie from once to twice a season.

Even with F1 continually adding new and exciting venues to the calendar on a regular basis, Yas Marina Circuit still retains features you don't see elsewhere.

Perhaps the most unique element is the very first thing a driver encounters when heading out for a lap of the 5.281 km track.

The pit exit is the only one we encounter that heads through a tunnel to take the cars under the circuit before joining at Turn 3.

Adding to its unusual nature, the run underneath is not restricted to the pit lane speed limit, so drivers can go at racing speeds through the narrow passage to minimise any time loss in their race.

Add a hotel with a glowing external shell that bridges the track and a Ferrari-themed theme park next door... you can see why there's no other place like Abu Dhabi.

It's slowly become an F1 tradition for Abu Dhabi to be the season finale.

In fact, for fans whose love of the sport has developed over the last 10 years, Yas Marina has been the only venue for the year-ending event.

Yet Yas Island wasn't always the place where F1 waved goodbye before the winter, and the Abu Dhabi GP has featured as a mid-season race three times since joining F1 in 2009.

The third running of the race in 2011 saw it act as the penultimate round, and it featured one race earlier than that in 2012 and 2013, when it was sandwiched between the Indian and US Grands Prix.

Abu Dhabi became the mainstay for the curtain-closing race from the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, and has had multiple title showdowns since then.

More memorable moments will come in the future, too, with the circuit's 2021 contract extension seeing it set to host the final race of the season until 2030.

Last year's Abu Dhabi GP drew in a record attendance of 170,000 fans over the three-day weekend.

Some 65% of those flocking to Yas Island to watch the cars in action weren't from the UAE, showing how attractive the F1 has become to a worldwide audience.

Considering that around 88% of those living in the United Arab Emirates are already expats, the Abu Dhabi GP might be one of most diverse races for fan nationality.

We see flags from so many places waving from the grandstands each year when we visit, and we look forward to seeing our supporters again in 2024.

There's something quite metaphorical about watching the sun set during the Abu Dhabi GP and knowing the F1 year is also ending.

Night races are increasingly common over the season, with Las Vegas, Bahrain, Qatar, and more taking place under the lights, but nowhere else has day-to-night racing.

The drivers must adapt their eyes from the evening twilight to full darkness between the five red lights going out and the chequered flag waving.

Thankfully, they have one of the largest lighting installations in the sporting world to illuminate the circuit as they race around, with some 4,700 light fixtures around the track.