Abu Dhabi GP: HRT preview

Final countdown to Hispania Racing's first season in Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi

After 18 Grand Prix's, the 19th and final race of the Formula 1 2010 calendar takes place in Abu Dhabi. Located on Yas Island, on the east coast of Abu Dhabi, the Yas Marina Circuit is another Hermann Tilke designed track. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is known as Formula One's only day-night race, as it starts at 17:00 local time but uses floodlights from the start to illuminate the circuit as it gets darker. It's 5.554 km make it a long and demanding track, with tight corners as well as high-speed sections that wrap around the island's marina.

After its eighth double-finish of the season in Brazil, the first ever Spanish team in Formula 1 hopes to finish its first season in a positive way and keep on reducing the difference to the other teams.

Colin Kolles, Team Principal:
"We are pleased to come to the finale of our first season in Formula 1. The race in Abu Dhabi takes place at the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit, which calls out a street section, the marina section and a high-speed section around the colour-changing Yas Hotel. The exit from the pit-lane through the tunnel is quite tricky and could easily cause a traffic jam. After a tight hairpin, the drivers encounter one of the longest straights in F1 and can reach 320km/h before braking hard for the chicane. After a positive result in Brazil, we are eager to keep on closing the gap to the other new teams and fight for positions with them."

Christian Klien, Race driver #20:
"I'm looking forward the last race of 2010 in Abu Dhabi. It's my third chance to compete for the team this season and I'm getting more and more used to the car and the crew. I hope we can achieve some great results and have a clean weekend. It will be my first time at this modern racetrack that combines very long straights with a technical slow part with not many runoff areas. There are basically two very different sections, so you need a good top speed for the long straights as well as some downforce and mechanical grip for the slow section. A further difficulty is the visibility, as the race starts at 5pm. We should have a similar pace to the one in Brazil, so I think we can be a challenge for the new teams."

Bruno Senna, Race driver #21:
"I'm really excited for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix because it's one of the circuits I know and like even if I have never raced there before. I did some laps with a two-seater F1 car and it is a good circuit with some demanding technical sections. There is a mix of slow camber corners and some interesting long straights that could allow overtaking. The car must be set up well for corner exits and slow corners. Following Interlagos, where we had a very competitive race, we expect to finish the season on a high here in Abu Dhabi, competing with the other new teams again."

-source: hrt