Excitement builds up for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The eighth Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the magnificent Yas Marina Circuit, nestled on the pristine man-made island of Yas, is building up to be another cracker of a finale.

After traversing close to 170,000 kilometres and logging air miles, the Formula One bandwagon has again arrived in the 'Monaco of the Middle East'.

The eighth Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the magnificent Yas Marina Circuit, nestled on the pristine man-made island of Yas, is building up to be another cracker of a finale.
The ending to the 2016 Formula One season script will be written over the weekend with Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton battling for the Drivers' World Championship. The GP will also be the swansong of 'Mr. Gentleman' Jenson Button and Felipe Massa.
As the Grand Prix rolls out this weekend, it is time to celebrate not just the drivers and the teams but also the human face of the sport.
Formula One, or any sport, for that matter, is nothing without its fans and F1 aficionados from different parts of the globe as well as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the other five emirates, had exclusive access to the pit lane, the only time the public is allowed to do so.

Thousands of fans arrived for the Pit Lane Walk on Thursday and they also got to rub shoulders and get up close and personal with their favourite drivers during the teams' autograph sessions.
Canadian Robyn Murdoch was one such fan who more than made up for missed opportunities. "I have been to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before but I never bought a three-day ticket, so the Pit Lane Walk is all new to me," said Murdoch.
After Briton Matthew Laurent proposed to Danielle Cooke at last year's Grand Prix, another Briton Michael Scoobie went down on one knee and asked Shannon Stewart during this edition, "Will you marry me?"
Scoobie said he was quite nervous before mustering the courage to propose to Shannon in the Mercedes team garage. She said: 'Yas'!
james@khaleejtimes.com 
 

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