2014 GP2 Series Round 11, Stefano and Lello are looking forward to the final race weekend at Abu Dhabi.The 2014 GP2 season comes to end this weekend at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi and although the Drivers’ Championship has already been decided all the teams and drivers are looking to finish the year with a win and the two Racing Engineering drivers, Stefano Coletti and Raffaele Marciello, want to add to their tally of victories at Hockenheim and Spa-Francorchamps respectively.
The 5.554km Yas Marina circuit with its 21 corners is popular with the drivers for the challenge it presents but it is vital for a team to provide a setup that allows the driver to get the most from his car on the different sections of the track and for Racing Engineering the priority for this weekend is to work with Stefano and Lello to ensure they start from the front of the grid and that they have a car that allows them to fight for race wins.
Timetable:Practice: Fri 21 Nov 2014, 11:15 (GMT+4)Qualifying Session: Fri 21 Nov 2014, 19:00 (GMT+4)Race 1: Sat 22 Nov 2014, 18:40 (GMT+4)Race 2: Sun 23 Nov 2014, 14:20 (GMT+4)
Race notes
1. The end of the second straight offers the best chance for overtaking, but a rival can immediately counterattack in the chicane.
2. The straight between corners seven and eight is almost 1.2km long. The end of that straight is unique, as it features a run-off area that extends below the West Grandstand. Cars spinning off will go underneath the spectators.
3. YAS Marina Circuit has 21 corners, 9 right-handers and 12 left-handers.
4. The third part of the track from corner 11 through to the final corner 21, features mainly right hand corners that are taken in second or third gear.
5. There is a high concentration of low to medium speed corners in the back part of the circuit around the Marina. Corner 7, the hairpin, is the slowest of the circuit and similar to the challenges of the Grand Hairpin in Monaco.
6. It’s a race where sand and other small dust particles can be ingested into the engine.
7. In 2011, Fabio Leimer won the race and last time we were in Abu Dhabi, in 2013, Fabio took the GP2 Driver Championship title.
8. Yas Marina is one of the few venues on the calendar to run in an anti-clockwise direction.
9. The pitlane exit is the only one on the calendar that goes underground. After leaving the pits, the drivers descend into a tunnel that turns 90 degrees left. Vettel: “feels like you're coming out of an underground parking garage”.
10. It is the only circuit in the world to feature five grandstands with every seat covered.Facts1. The average speed of an F1 car in Abu Dhabi is 199 km/h against the 183 km/h average of a GP2 car.
2. F1 throttle usage is quite different in this race: 59% vs. 66% of the lap that the engine spends at full throttle in GP2.
3. F1 top speed (including DRS) is 320 km/h – GP2 (without DRS) is 300 km/h.
4. F1 drivers will change gear 52 times per lap against 32 times that a GP2 driver will have to do.
5. Race distance is quite different and at the end of the weekend GP2 cars have more mileage than F1: F1 go around the circuit for 55 laps and GP2 do a total of 63 laps in two races- 37 laps in the Feature Race and 26 in the Sprint Race.
6. Pole position in F1 was set in 2013 at 1:39.957 – Pole position in GP2 was set in 2013 at 1:48.931.
