Most circuits are designed around corners. Yas Marina, which opened on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island in 2009, was also designed around a time of day.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix starts in daylight and finishes under floodlights, and for a few laps in between the sky over the marina goes through every shade from gold to deep blue. Drivers talk about how the track changes as it cools; spectators talk about the light.
The race starts in daylight and finishes under floodlights.
The circuit’s most recognisable building is the hotel that straddles the track, its canopy of glass panels lit in changing colours after dark. Cars pass beneath it on their way through the marina section, and from the right seat the effect is closer to architecture than sport.
Outside race weekends the track is busy with driving experiences and track days, and it is worth going at dusk even if you only watch. Stand near the marina as the lights come up, listen to an engine echo off the water, and the idea behind the place makes sense.