“At Abu Dhabi, a truly thrilling season comes to an end. Last year’s modifications to some of the straights and corners on the Yas Marina track have made the circuit faster, balancing the longitudinal and lateral demands on the tyres – whereas previously it was more about traction and braking. Despite these changes to the layout, there is still going to be a lot of attention paid to the rear tyres in order to guarantee the best traction over long stints. On the Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 2023 slick tyres will be tried out during a full day of testing, where the teams will be able to decide their run plans as well as which drivers to use: race drivers or young drivers..” – Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director said, ahead of the final round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, in Pirelli’s official preview of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
THE TYRES ON TRACK
Pirelli will bring the three softest compounds in the range for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: C3 as the P Zero White hard, C4 as the P Zero Yellow medium and C5 as the P Zero Red soft, as the Yas Marina track characteristics aren’t particularly demanding for the tyres. The asphalt is not especially abrasive, which allows the use of the softer compounds. However, Pirelli points out that it is going to be important to consider falling track temperatures during the race on Sunday, as the chequered flag falls late into the evening.
Yas Marina is made up of 16 corners as well as some fast sections. Aerodynamics are an important aspect to guarantee a strong performance and optimal tyre management.
The teams used a number of different strategies at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his first world title after stopping three times, putting on the soft tyre during a safety car period five laps from the end.
This is the final round of the 2022 Formula 1 championship, but the teams will then stay on for a one-day test of the 2023 slick compounds, which were fine-tuned in testing during the USA and Mexico Grand Prix weekends.
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