Trackside at Yas Marina - 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Info & advice about the race program, facilities and trackside events at Yas Marina Circuit for F1 fans attending the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Yas Island Marina is a veritable playground for the F1 fanatic, adrenaline junkie and gastronome. In addition to the F1 circuit, the island complex also boasts a world-class marina rivaling Monaco for glamor, three huge theme parks (Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld & Warner Bros World), Etihad Arena for concerts, shopping, restaurants and more! Most of the on-track action takes place in the afternoon, leaving you with the morning to check out the rest of the island’s attractions.

Need to Know

Download the “Abu Dhabi GP” app, where you can upload your digital race tickets, check timings for on-track action, fan zones and concerts, enter competitions, and utilize maps and wayfinding directions for parking, drop-off points and shuttles.

If you are planning to attend one or more of the nightly concerts at Etihad Park, you will need to have your ticket scanned at an AskYAS information point within the circuit on the day to collect a wristband for entry. It’s recommended to do this as early as possible on the day, as the supply of wristbands is limited to the capacity of the concert venue. (For the Eminem concert in 2024, wristbands were already unavailable from the early afternoon.)

If you are driving a car, plenty of free parking is available at Yas Mall. From there you can take a free internal shuttle bus to your grandstand or hospitality suite.

Alcohol is available for purchase in the fan zones, but only for guests aged 21+.

Access & Orientation at Yas Marina Circuit

Seven access gates provide access to the circuit on the main access road which runs around the North and West of the circuit.

Free shuttle buses run regularly between the entrances and provide easy access to all of the grandstands, marina, hotels, Etihad Park (where the concerts are held) and Ferrari World.

To enter the Main Grandstand and main F1 Fan Zone (Oasis), you need to enter via Gate 14 and walk through the tunnel to the inside of the circuit and use Gate 16.

Getting There & Around has more information about getting to Yas Marina circuit. Upon entering the circuit, you will be subject to airport-style security screening.

The full list of prohibited items at Yas Marina Circuit are listed at the end of this post.

Super Thursday

A pit lane walk is held for all 3-day ticket holders on Thursday of race weekend. In 2024, this took place from 11:00-13:30 (last entry at 12:40). It is open to all 3-day ticket holders. Circuit gates are open for “Super Thursday” from 10:00-21:00. The Main F1 Fan Zone and the West Oasis are also open on Thursday from 10:00-21:00, while the North Fan Zone & Oasis are open from 18:00-00:30, the same timings as for the Etihad Park concert venue. All times listed here are TBC for 2025.

Please note that many fans missed out on the pit lane walk in 2024 due to excessive numbers and poor crowd control, leading to the pit lane being closed earlier than advertised. Fans also blocked the areas in front of certain teams in the pit lane, leading to bottlenecks. In response, it’s likely that changes to the organization of the public pit lane walk will be announced for 2025.

Additional Pit Lane Walks

On Thursday evening, an additional pit lane walk (together with guided tours of the track) normally takes place for selected F1 Experiences guests (Starter and Hero packages) from 17:30-19:00. From Friday to Sunday, guests in the Formula 1 Paddock Club will be able to take part in daily pit lane walks at selected times, see full schedule below.

2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Schedule

2025 On-Track Timetable: The full on-track schedule for the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP won’t be confirmed until around six weeks before race weekend. F1 session times are confirmed for 2025 and listed below. (View the full 2024 schedule here.)

2025 Support Categories: Formula 2 will stage the last two races of its 2025 season at Yas Marina in 2025. Additional support categories have not been announced, but the all-female F1 Academy will not be returning in 2025. The FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship is also expected to join the support schedule.

Sunset: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is F1’s only twilight race. Sunset on race weekend is at approximately 17:37 local time.

Friday, December 5

13:30-14:30: Formula 1 Free Practice 1 (FP1)

17:00-18:00: Formula 1 Free Practice 2 (FP2)

Saturday, December 6

14:30-15:30: Formula 1 Free Practice 3 (FP3)

18:00-19:00: Formula 1 Qualifying

Sunday, December 7

17:00-19:00: Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 (58 Laps or 2 hours)

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Yas Marina F1 Concerts

Concerts are held on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at Etihad Park (previously Du Arena), which is located between the North Grandstand and Ferrari World. Built into the impressive southern “claw” of Ferrari World, the largest roofed structure on earth, Etihad Park is a mainly outdoor concert venue with excellent facilities, including food trucks and bars serving alcohol.

Race organisers have announced Katy Perry, Metallica and Benson Boone as the first headline acts at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with more yet to be announced. At the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the concerts were headlined by Peggy Gou & Teddy Swims (Thursday), Maroon 5 (Friday), Eminem (Saturday), and Muse (Sunday).

Please note that the Yasalam concerts are held at Etihad Park and not at Etihad Arena, a larger concert venue a short walk south of the circuit, which can cause confusion for some fans. Gates to the concerts open at 18:00, but the main headline acts generally don’t come on until around 21:00. The concerts generally finish by around 23:00. To be able to access the concert venue, you’ll need to have your ticket scanned at an AskYAS information point within the circuit and collect a wristband. Gates to the Etihad Park concert zone are open from 18:00-00:30 on Thursday and 18:00-00:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (TBC for 2025). Golden Circle upgrades for the concerts, which give priority views near the front of the stage plus fast-track entry to the arena, are now available in our ticket shop.

Due to demand for fans wanting to attend the Eminem concert at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, concert wristbands were unavailable from late afternoon on the day of the concert, and many fans were not able to attend. It’s worth remembering that wristbands are supplied on a ‘first come, first served basis’ and can run out for popular concerts. If you are planning to attend that evening’s concert, it’s worth getting a wristband as early as possible.

Yas Island Theme Parks

Yas Island is home to three world-class theme parks. The best known among F1 fans is Ferrari World, located under a huge red roof with the famous prancing horse logo next to the track. At recent editions of the race, 3 and 4-day ticket holders have received complimentary 1-day access to a Yas Island theme park of their choice. TBC for 2025.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

Based on our own experience, Ferrari World is worth checking out to ride the world’s fastest rollercoaster (Formula Rossa, which hits speeds of up to 240 km/hr and is amazing!) but pretty underwhelming otherwise, making it hard to justify the high ticket prices. There are some legendary Ferraris on display, but you can see equally awesome supercars everywhere in the UAE, and the rides, games, galleries and experiences will not keep you busy much beyond an hour or two. Your kids will probably disagree with our assessment. Open from 11:00-20:00 every day. Adult tickets from 310 AED. Learn More.

Yas Waterworld

Boasting 43 rides, slides and attractions, Yas Marina is a huge water park spread over 15 hectares on Yas Island. General Admission costs 240 AEd ($65) for those over 1.1m tall. Junior Admission for those under 1.1m tall is around 20% cheaper. Yas Waterworld is open from 10:00-19:00. Adult tickets from 270 AED. Learn More.

Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi

The newest addition to Yas Marina is devoted to the characters of the famous Hollywood studio, including Looney Tunes, DC Comics & Hanna-Barbera. It contains 29 rides plus daily shows, restaurants, shops and other attractions. Open every day from 10:00-20:00. Adult tickets from 310 AED. Learn More.

Yas Marina

No visit to the Yas Marina circuit would be complete without a visit to the Marina itself. Monaco meets the Middle East as the rich and famous gather on superyachts and in exclusive bars and restaurants to watch the action. Incredibly, entrance is free on Grand Prix weekend (even if you don’t have an F1 ticket), though you can’t go too far without the right credentials. There’s even a small section of track where you can watch the action on the outside of Turn 19.

Want to get your own sunset photos that the circuit is famous for? Head to the area outside the track (near the apex of Turn 19) before the entrance to the Marina, and join the official photographers. There are some trees and a fence, but you can get uninterrupted shots. No F1 ticket required! Don’t forget that sunset is at around 17:30 local time (during FP2 on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday).

Yas Marina Circuit Facilities & Fan Zones

Yas Marina is a modern circuit and the facilities are world class. Fan zones and Oasis areas (with food and drinks for sale) are located behind most grandstands at Yas Marina Circuit. The largest fan zone and Oasis area is located behind the Main Grandstand. Additional fan zones with food and drink are located behind the North Grandstand (North Oasis), the West Grandstand (West Oasis) and Abu Dhabi Hill, and finally behind the Marina and South Grandstands (South & Marina Oasis).

Food and drink are fairly reasonably priced (alcohol is available for those aged 21+, but expensive), though the food selection is mostly limited to fast-food type options. Please note that guests are encouraged to use contactless forms of payment at the circuit. If you want a better selection of food you can head to the Yas Mall next to Ferrari World (affordable eats) or check out the eateries in Yas Marina (not so affordable eats). Bookings are advised on race weekend for the restaurants at Yas Marina.

The main F1 Fan Zone behind the Main Grandstand hosts concerts, DJ performances, interactive displays and F1 driver Q&As. The most up to date information about what’s happening in the F1 Fan Zone can be found on the “Abu Dhabi GP” app. The F1 drivers participate in a Fan Forum with driver interviews on the stage in the main fan zone on Friday and Saturday (normally between 11:00-12:00 on both Friday and Saturday). Get there early if you want to be close to the stage.