RENAULT F1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX – FACTFILE

MEDIA RELEASE/Renault Formula 1 Team – Photo; supplied

Renault F1 Team is in Abu Dhabi for the twenty-first and final race of the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Circuit 
• The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has grown into a traditional season-ending race. This year’s Grand Prix is the seventh time Abu Dhabi has hosted the final race of a Formula 1 World Championship season.
• Yas Marina is located just 2m above sea level, which is 698m less than the last round at Interlagos, Brazil.
• The final three races of the season (Austin, Interlagos and Abu Dhabi) are all run anti-clockwise. It’s not a major issue for the drivers these days with neck training de rigueur, but it does have a slight impact on the post-session cool-down routines.
• There are six circuit configurations at Yas Marina for various racing categories. The Grand Prix circuit is 5.554km in length and has the second-most corners of any circuit on the 2019 calendar with 21, two short of Singapore.
• The changeable conditions are tricky to master in Abu Dhabi, especially as qualifying and the race are held from dusk into the night. Last year, track temperatures during the race peaked at 37C, while in FP1 on Friday, it was almost 14C warmer at 51C. FP1 and FP3 are therefore challenging for engineers and drivers alike to gather the necessary data on the car. It also adds importance on FP2 where conditions are representative for both qualifying and race.

The Drivers 
• The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks Nico Hülkenberg’s 62nd and final race as a Renault F1 Team driver.
• Nico has scored 149 points during his Renault tenure with a best finish of fifth, achieved in the 2018 German Grand Prix and this year’s Italian Grand Prix.
• The German has played a big part in Renault’s Formula 1 journey, scoring 75% of its points haul in 2017 (43 from 57) and 56% (69 from 122) of its tally last season on his way to a career-best seventh in the Drivers’ Championship.
• Daniel Ricciardo took his first Formula 1 Fastest Lap in Abu Dhabi in 2014. He has also led 18 laps at Yas Marina in his career with a best finish of fourth in 2014 and 2018

Renault Sport Academy 
• The 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship finishes in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
• Renault Sport Academy member Guanyu Zhou looks to end an impressive year on a bright note and finish as best rookie.
Renault F1 Team Test Driver Jack Aitken is currently fifth, while Academy man Christian Lundgaard graduates from F3.

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