Adam's Travel Report - 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Adam Rosales returns with another travel report, this time covering his maiden trip to the season-ending 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.

Yas Marina Circuit

Yas Marina Circuit still feels like one of Formula 1’s newest circuits, even though it’s actually been around since 2009. Taking over as the final race of the year from Interlagos in Brazil was always going to be a hard act to follow, but the circuit also had a reputation for not always delivering the most exciting racing. Changes to the track ahead of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have definitely helped improve the spectacle since then, and I personally witnessed some of the best overtakes I’ve seen live since starting to go to races.

You may remember the clip from last year’s race when Lewis Hamilton overtook George Russell on the final lap as the fireworks started to go off in the background. I saw that from the South grandstand and it was even more spectacular in person. Being there to witness Hamilton close out his career with Mercedes in such a way was a special moment.

2024 Season Sandwich

I wasn’t planning on attending the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, since I had already been to quite a few other races during the season, notably Bahrain, Suzuka, Zandvoort and Brazil. Ironically, it was the new friends I’d made from organizing meetups at races last year that contributed to me booking Abu Dhabi – as well as the prospect of a good championship battle, of course.

The group chat we’d created in Bahrain got larger as new friends joined in, and some friendly peer pressure during our meetup in Zandvoort pushed me into looking for flight deals to Abu Dhabi. Once I’d made my plans to attend the race, our group chat was renamed “2024 Season Sandwich” to signify the fact that we were going to the first and last races of the season.

Flying from Austin to Dubai

I found flights that minimized days off work and cost me only $850 USD return, but it was definitely a ‘flying visit’. I departed from my home airport in Austin on Thursday night and arrived in Dubai late the following evening. I missed the track action on Friday but was able to attend the last two days of the race weekend before my flight home from Dubai at 2am on Monday morning. I returned home to Austin at 5pm on Monday evening.

I flew with KLM, direct from Austin to Amsterdam. The layover in Amsterdam was about 4 hours; the perfect amount of time to get some breakfast, take a shower and have a beer at the KLM Crown Lounge before boarding my second flight to Dubai.

The journey took about 20 hours each way. It’s a long way to go for the weekend, but it was well worth it! Since KLM is part of the Skyteam alliance, my Delta Platinum Medallion allowed me to choose KLM’s Economy Comfort seats for no extra cost. The extra legroom helped a lot, as did the free access to the Skyteam airport lounges. I ate, drank and showered for free at the lounges. Taking a shower is the best ‘reset’ for me when I fly overnight and need to start a new day. It’s my number 1 travel tip for longer journeys like this one.

Yas Marina Circuit Organization

This track feels like its own city, especially since it has a hotel within the circuit (and more close by), along with a mall nearby and several theme parks. A circular bus service operates between the attractions on the island, and will also drop you off at your designated entrance gate.

Once inside, there’s plenty of vendors for food, drinks and team merchandise. I entered via the South grandstand and found the area between the south and marina grandstands (known as the South & Marina Oasis) was food and drink vendors, and also had a stage where they had music and interviews with F1 Academy drivers. It was quite warm in the sun during the middle of the day. The umbrellas at the tables made a huge difference but it was still a sweaty afternoon!

South Grandstand Views

I purchased a weekend ticket (Saturday & Sunday) for the South Grandstand from P1 Travel for €650 EUR ($765 USD) and was positively surprised by the amount of track action at this section. I was assigned an upper level seat and with the 2021 track changes, this area offered some of the best views of any circuit I’ve been to for medium to high speed overtakes.

Most circuits that provide grandstand views of overtakes tend to be at the slower corners but this faster section highlighted the attributes of the different cars and the different driving lines. You could see drivers lining up their moves along the back straight and making them stick into Turn 11. South Grandstand also offered views of the slow section beneath the W Hotel. I got to witness some crazy mid-corner switchback overtakes and of course the last-lap move by Lewis Hamilton on George Russell. I’ll never forget how the crowd erupted for that. (Check out Adam’s video of the pass here).

Ticket Checks

One tedious thing about the organization at Yas Marina was the ticket check to get into the grandstand. Right before qualifying the scanners stopped working, so the attendants were holding everybody back at the same time the session was about to start. People eventually got frustrated and just pushed through the turnstiles. I ended up finding a path to enter through the restaurant at the bottom of the stand without having to scan your ticket. I ended up using this each time I returned to the grandstand.

I didn’t attend the concerts but one downside I heard was that the South/Marina area was fairly distant from the concert area. The concerts required a wristband to enter, which was handed throughout the event and easy to get. But for a popular artist like Eminem, they did run out fairly early in the day. If you plan on going to the concerts, keep an eye out for the wristbands being handed out at the Ask Yas points near the entry gates and in each of the fan zones (Oasis areas).

Food & Drinks at Yas Marina

There were at least a dozen different food vendors in the Marina & South Oasis between the two grandstands. Basic stadium fare like hamburgers or chicken tenders with fries was available, as well as local, vegan and vegetarian options. Lines were fairly minimal and the service was quick. Prices were reasonable, costing around 60-80 AED ($16-22 USD) for a meal. A pint of Heineken cost 60 AED ($16 USD), which was pricey. Water was cheap at 5 AED ($1.25 USD). I was surprised to see liquor and wine options available.

Getting to Yas Marina Circuit

I had organized a driver to pick me up via the service welcome pickups after landing at Dubai Airport. I communicated with the service via WhatsApp in advance and was met with a sign that had my name on it at the arrivals exit. I was shown the way to my driver and was at the hotel about 20 minutes later.

I booked 2 nights at Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City for 1780 AED ($485 USD). It helped a lot having friends attending this weekend and staying in Dubai. They offered to give me a ride to and from Yas Marina Circuit, which took about an hour each way.

Driving seemed fairly straightforward and there’s plenty of free of free parking at Yas Mall, plus shuttle buses to get you from the parking area to the grandstand areas. It’s worth being aware of the zero tolerance laws for drink driving in the UAE and it definitely helps to have a designated driver. You can also take a taxi, which costs around $80-100 USD each way; not bad if you split with a few friends. The downside of taxis was that it was taking around two hours to get one after the race. It wasn’t much quicker to leave the parking and island, taking 1-2 hours. The heaviest traffic was after the concerts each evening.

After the race, our group met up for a few drinks and to discuss the race, since we all had different grandstands over the weekend. I didn’t want to stay too long, however, as I was already nervous about missing my 2am flight from Dubai. Luckily, I had plenty of time to get back to Dubai, swing by the hotel to pick up my bags and get to the airport. I even had time to enjoy a late-night meal in the Skyteam Lounge before boarding. I ended up falling asleep before takeoff and woke up with 4 hours to go before landing in Amsterdam.

I had about a 5 hour layover, which allowed me to follow my normal travel routine of a meal and shower before boarding my last flight home. I got lucky with an upgrade offer to KLM World Business for $600 USD. It was an 11 hour flight and this price was well below the $100 per hour threshold I normally use when considering business class upgrades. The upgrade helped me catch up on sleep for about half the flight and arrive home in Austin feeling less tired than I could have, considering the distances I covered across the world in only a few days.

Visiting UAE

This trip was my second visit to the Middle East and my first time leaving the airport in Dubai, rather than transiting. Everything felt very Western, with plenty of familiar restaurants and shops that you can find back in Austin, and even some classic American cars on the road. Dubai can be a bit of a concrete jungle, but some of the architecture (like Burj Khalifa) is cool to see. Locals and tourists are friendly although I did experience some people trying to cut the line for reception in my hotel. A little bit of assertiveness can help in situations like this!

Final Thoughts

Overall, I would definitely like to revisit the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and spend more time exploring the city and being a tourist. It wasn’t possible this time due to my short stay. Some of my friends did activities like skydiving, ziplining and indoor skiing, while some visited the observation deck at Burj Khalifa. It seems like there’s plenty to do and prices are reasonable. There are many ways to experience the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including lots of hospitality and yacht options. But I’d be happy to return and sit in the grandstands. The views were good and the atmosphere was lively. If there’s a title fight that looks like it’s coming down to the final race at Abu Dhabi, I wouldn’t hesitate to book a similar trip again. Next time I’ll be sure to book an extra couple of days!