It’s all to play for at the sparkling Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi this weekend as several drivers are in with a mathematical chance of being crowned the new Pirelli-equipped GP2 and GP3 champions. With so few points separating the top drivers, the scene is set for an enthralling season-finale in both grand prix feeder series, which have supplied more than half the current Formula One grid. Yas Marina is a circuit that is characterised by a wide variety of speeds and corners, so to combat these challenges, Pirelli has nominated the P Zero White medium and P Zero Red supersoft compounds for GP2. This is the very first time that this tyre nomination has been used in the 2013 GP2 season. GP3 uses just one compound for the race weekend – which for Abu Dhabi is the medium compound.

Pirelli’s racing manager says:

Mario Isola: “Abu Dhabi is the final round of the year for our support series and where our new GP2 and GP3 champions will be decided. With only seven points separating championship contenders Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird in GP2, as well as Facu Regalia and Daniil Kyvat in GP3, there’s going to be pressure on the teams to ensure both races are error-free. The drivers will have to ensure they get everything just right: including tyre strategy, which will be of the utmost importance. With the medium and supersoft nomination for GP2, there is likely to be a performance gap of around one second or more between the two compounds, so the crews will need to think carefully about the factors that could come into play and how to plan the strategy over the race weekend as a whole. The GP2 teams have never worked with this particular nomination before, which underlines how we are always willing to introduce new concepts to improve the sporting spectacle. As for GP3, it will be a straightforward race to the finish, with no questions of tactics to add an extra dimension. However, it’s a brand new circuit for GP3, which presents its own challenges. Yas Marina is the ideal circuit to conclude the GP2 and GP3 championships as it incorporates several of the best features of other tracks we have been to this year. The surface is fast and smooth while the track layout tests every aspect of a driver’s skill and a tyre’s capability, which is why Abu Dhabi is often used for testing. On behalf of Pirelli, I’d like to wish all our GP2 and GP3 drivers the best of luck on what will be the most important race weekend of the year.”