I’m off to Abu Dhabi – but will the racing get the juices flowing?

What sort of GP can we expect?

Today I will finalise my preparations for a trip to this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This will be my third race of the year after attending Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps earlier in the summer. It’ll also be the first time I have attended the race in the United Arab Emirates – so I’m obviously pretty excited!

To be honest, I have some mixed feelings going into the weekend. First of all, it’s always pretty exciting going to a new Grand Prix venue for the first time. Just the exploration of the circuit, discovering what facilities and entertainment they have to offer will no doubt be an enjoyable experience.

The problem is, the race itself. Abu Dhabi hasn’t always provided the best racing on the calendar, despite the enormous amount of money spent on the facility. And that’s the keyword, “facility.” More money and thought seemed to go into the incredible Yas Hotel that crosses part of the circuit, the marina that lines some of the barriers and all the other lavish buildings surrounding the venue. The circuit design for close racing actually pretty stinks...

The most famous, or infamous demonstration of Abu Dhabi’s struggle for good racing came at last year’s GP in 2010, when Fernando Alonso couldn’t overtake Vitaly Petrov’s Renault – resulting in Fernando losing the World Championship. The Ferrari was much faster than Petrov, but he simply could not get his car in a position to pass in any sector of the circuit.

2011 has seen plenty of overtaking after KERS was reintroduced to the sport, and the much debated DRS was added to try and spice things up. Some say it’s too artificial, but some see it as a great tool to allow faster drivers to make progress in a race, should they find themselves out of place and down the order. I think both sides of that argument have some valid points but it’s a debate for another day...

Pirelli have of course helped the show a lot too with their new tyres this year, but I can’t help but think there compound choices of late have reflected the more dull races we had last year on Bridgestone rubber. I’d really like to see the softer, more aggressive tyres used at the final races.

So the F1 fraternity cross their fingers and toes this weekend that the 2011 rules, regulations, tricks and toys all contribute to a decent race, myself included. If it’s another Vettel show on Saturday AND Sunday, then at least I’ll get to experience the truly unique moment that a race changes between day and night. At least the Abu Dhabi GP has that in the bank...

Posted by James Wilson. - Follow him on twitter @enterf1.

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