The 2022 season has not been as exciting as last year’s campaign but it certainly had its moments. In 2021, we headed into the Abu Dhabi GP with Title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen level on points. This year, Verstappen already has the Title secured and Red Bull has the Constructors’ Championship bagged.
The battle for second place, however, is still very much alive. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc are both on 290 points going into the weekend. The controversial ending to the Sao Paolo GP two weeks ago has made this battle more exciting.
It’s highly unlikely that this year’s race will generate as much drama as the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. However, fans are looking forward to this weekend to pay tribute to Sebastian Vettel who is retiring from F1. It’s also going to be the last F1 race (for the time being) for Daniel Ricciardo, Nicholas Latifi, and (potentially) Mick Schumacher.
Also read: Abu Dhabi GP 2022: How is the weather at Yas Marina Circuit ahead of F1 season finale?
Abu Dhabi GP: Laps and circuit length
The first-ever F1 race in Abu Dhabi took place in 2009. It has not gone through a lot of changes over the years but last season, we saw the drivers race in an updated layout that was designed to encourage more overtaking. Earlier the Yas Marina Circuit had 21 turns which were reduced to just 16 in 2021.
Yas Marina Circuit’s existing layout is 5.281 km (3.281 miles) long. The race lap record lies with Verstappen who clocked a time of 1:26.103 last season. On Sunday, fans will be treated to 58 laps of racing action around the track.
Yas Marina Circuit lap-time records
Yas Island has been witness some of the most iconic moments in F1’s recent history. Who can forget Kimi Raikkonen’s iconic ‘leave me alone!’ radio message or Nico Rosberg’s World Title win in this circuit? Last season too, we witnessed one of the most controversial and dramatic endings to season ever after Verstappen’s last lap overtake on Hamilton.
Great drivers in the recent era have put in blistering lap times around the Yas Marina Circuit, but Verstappen holds the record in the current new layout. The 25-year-old put in a time of 1:26.103. Previously, this record belonged to Lewis Hamilton who had a time of 1:39.283 around the track.
Also read: Sebastian Vettel is happier now than he was in Ferrari and Red Bull
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix past winners
Some of the greatest F1 drivers of all time have won races in Abu Dhabi since it’s debut on the calendar in 2009. The likes of Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have all been race winners here.
Following is a list of the last five winners of the Abu Dhabi GP:
2021: Max Verstappen
2020: Max Verstappen
2019: Lewis Hamilton
2018: Lewis Hamilton
2017: Valtteri Bottas
