The Racing Engineering team are feeling positive about the final 2017 F2 race weekend at Abu Dhabi

23/11/17 The Racing Engineering team are feeling positive about the final 2017 F2 race weekend at Abu Dhabi.

The 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship season comes to an end this weekend at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi and the two Racing Engineering drivers, Nyck De Vries and Gustav Malja, will both want to finish the season on a high note to make up for the disappointments earlier in the year. Additionally Racing Engineering, who have always run well at this track, winning the Sunday race in 2014 and scoring five other top four finishes, will want to take their first win of the season.

The 5.554km Yas Marina circuit with its 21 corners is popular with the drivers for the challenge it presents but it is vital for a team to provide a setup that allows the driver to get the most from his car on the different sections of the track and for Racing Engineering the priority for this weekend is to work with Nyck and Gustav to ensure they start from the front of the grid and that they have a car that allows them to fight for race wins. For this weekend the F2 teams will have the unusual opportunity to race at night in Friday Qualifying and the Saturday Feature Race under the floodlights that make the Yas Marina Circuit the largest permanent sports venue lighting project in the world.

Timetable:
Practice: Fri 24 Nov 2017, 11:30 (GMT+4)
Qualifying Session: Fri 24 Nov 2017, 19:00 (GMT+4)
Race 1: Sat 25 Nov 2017, 18:40 (GMT+4)
Race 2: Sun 26 Nov 2017, 14:10 (GMT+4)

©FIA F2 Championship

©Racing Engineering

©Racing Engineering

Length of lap:	5.554 km

2016 Best Racing Engineering:	P7 in Qualifying – P6 in R1 – P5 in R2

Tyre Wear:	Medium

Brake Wear:	Medium

Downforce:	High

Throttle Average:	65%

Fastest turn:	T3

Hardest Braking Point:	T8

Gear shifts per lap:	56

Top Speed:	310 km/h

Average Speed (Q) 2016:	196.329 km/h

Average Speed (Second race) 2016:	176.025 km/h

Pole Position Time 2016:	1:47.476

1. The Yas Marina Circuit is located on the Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

2. The track is 5,55 km long with 21 corners, 9 right-handers and 12 left-handers.

3. The lap begins with a slow left-hander followed by a series of fast left-right corners until the end of the first sector.

4. In 2013, Fabio Leimer won the Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit and in 2015, Alexander Rossi secured the second position in the driver's Championship there.

5. Yas Marina Circuit is the largest permanent sports venue lighting project in the world.

6. The circuit features a combination of high-speed straights and technical corners.

7. Drivers race through Yas Island, off the Abu Dhabi coast, passing by the marina and underneath part of the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Hotel.

8. The pit lane exit crosses under the circuit, so part of the pit lane is actually below ground.

9. Overtaking is a problem at this track, so race strategy has always been crucial.

10. This final sector is often compared with Monaco, due to the proximity of the walls.

• F1 top speed peaking at over 336 km/h down the pit straight just before the first chicane, whereas in F2 the top speed goes up to 310 km/h.

• Pole position in F1 was set in 2016 At 1:38.755 – Pole position in F2 was set in 2016 at 1:47.476.

• The average speed in F1 is 200 km/h and 185 km/h in F2.

• F1 drivers will change gear 68 times per lap against 56 times that a F2 driver will have to do.

• Race distance is no so different: F1 go around the circuit for 55 laps and F2 do a total of 53 laps in two days- 31 laps in feature race and 22 in the sprint race.

©Nyck De Vries