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Abu Dhabi GP and Race to Dubai: A season finale like no other

Dubai - The Abu Dhabi GP and the DP World Tour Championship will bring the curtains down on the season

It all feels a bit surreal already. The Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Prix, the season’s finale is upon us and the excitement builds up during the week and reaches fever pitch as we enter the business end of qualifying and ultimately, the race.

But the 12th instalment of the race will be quite different, not least because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The legendary Sir Jackie Stewart, who won three World Championships in 1969, 1971 and 1973, had once termed the Monaco Grand Prix on the streets of Monte Carlo as the ‘jewel in the F1 crown’ for its heady mix — top class motor racing blending seamlessly with the yachts and the glitz and glamour.

The only other race to rival and, in fact, match Monaco has been the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the high and mighty as well as top stars from different spheres converging over a race weekend.

And adding pizzazz are the yachts, in different hues, docked along the turquoise waters of the Marina, the event is also a social celebration with after race concerts and has come to be known as the ‘diamond in the F1 crown.’

Having seen this piece of land transform into an iconic circuit and attended every single race that the Yas Marina Circuit has hosted since 2009, this will be the first time in its illustrious history that fans, who arrive from all corners of the globe, and local fans, will not be in attendance.

Another event which will bring the curtains down on the season, along with F1, and in similar fashion, will be the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship.

The unusual year that we have had so far has meant taking extreme measures and safety and security is the top most priority and holding it behind closed doors is the right decision.

So, when a V6 turbo F1 engine roars in anger and the Pirelli tyres burn rubber on the track during first practice on Thursday afternoon, the sounds will resonate from the empty stands.

But, with the race being held against the backdrop of the pandemic, the Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM), is paying tribute to the frontline heroes by inviting them over the course of the weekend. Six hundred frontline warriors, with 200 each day, will be able to witness the Grand Prix from the stands.

And it must be said that it is mainly because of these Covid heroes that Abu Dhabi has been able to host the Grand Prix and various other events that are being held in the UAE, in a pandemic-ravaged season.

The event that paved the way for world class events making a return to action was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the hugely popular Mixed Martial Arts event which was first held at Yas Island in July.

That provided a blueprint for future events with Dubai successfully hosting the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic event for top women golfers in November.

Prior to that, the UAE was host to the biggest and most popular cricket league in the world — the Indian Premier League (IPL) from September to November. And it was held successfully and without a hitch.

Dubai also added another European Tour golf event to its roster with the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship played out at Fire Course of the Jumeirah Golf Estates last week.

And as the Yas Marina Circuit adds a fresh coat of paint and gets sanitised, on the other side, in Dubai, some of the top golfers will be in action over the same weekend, at the Earth Course of the Jumeirah Golf Estates.

It has been a season like no other but the UAE and Dubai has ensured it will have a fitting ending.

james@khaleejtimes.com