Trackside at Yas Marina – 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Info & advice about the race program, facilities and trackside events at Yas Marina Circuit for F1 fans attending the 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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The 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the final race of the season on December 3-6

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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 and concert tickets, check timings for on-track action, fan zones and concerts, and utilize maps and wayfinding directions for parking, drop-off points and shuttles.

If you are driving a car, plenty of parking is available at Yas Mall, though since 2025 it is no longer free on race weekend. 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 Fan Zone (Main Oasis), you need to enter via Gate 14 and walk through the tunnel to the inside of the circuit at Gate 16.

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

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.

Super Thursday

Timings and activities are yet to be confirmed for 2026. Information from last year is provided below for information purposes.

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.

In a change to previous years, three pit lane walks will be staged on Thursday at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; two morning sessions from 10:30-11:45 and 12:35-13:45, and an evening session from 18:40-19:25. These pit lane walks are only open to holders of 4-day tickets for the race weekend. A limited number of ‘fast track’ tickets will be available to purchase for the morning pit lane walk.

Additional Pit Lane Walks

On Thursday evening, an additional pit lane walk (together with guided tours of the track) will take place for selected F1 Experiences guests (Starter and Hero packages) on Thursday evening. 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.

2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Schedule

2026 On-Track Timetable: The full on-track schedule for the 2026 Abu Dhabi GP will not be confirmed by Formula 1 until around six weeks before race weekend. In the meantime, the 2025 schedule is listed below for information purposes.

2025 Support Categories: Formula 2 will stage the last two races of its 2026 season at Yas Marina. Additional support categories are not yet confirmed. Last year, FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship and Masters Historic were the additional support categories.

Sprint Race: Abu Dhabi will not be one of the six races to stage an F1 Sprint in 2026.

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

Friday

08:45-09:30: FIA Formula 4 UAE – Practice Session

10:05-10:30: Masters Historic – Practice Session

11:05-11:50: Formula 2 – Practice Session

12:00-13:00: Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

12:30-13:00: Pirelli Hot Laps

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

15:00-15:30: Formula 2 – Qualifying Session

15:30-15:53: Al Fursan Air Display

15:55-16:25: FIA Formula 4 UAE – Qualifying Session

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

18:30-18:55: Masters Historic – Qualifying Session

19:05-20:05: Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

Saturday

12:25-12:55: FIA Formula 4 UAE – First Race (25 minutes + 1 Lap)

13:05-14:05: Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

13:35-14:05: Pirelli Hot Laps

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

15:30-15:53: Al Fursan Air Display

16:15-17:05: Formula 2 – Sprint Race (23 Laps or 45 minutes + 1 Lap)

18:00-19:00: Formula 1 – Qualifying

20:00-20:25: Masters Historic – First Race (20 minutes)

20:35-21:20: Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

21:20-22:20: F1 Experiences – Grid Walk & Trophy Photo

Sunday

10:05-10:30: Masters Historic – Second Race (20 minutes)

11:20-11:50: FIA Formula 4 UAE – Second Race (25 minutes + 1 Lap)

12:05-12:35: Pirelli Hot Laps

13:15-14:20: Formula 2 – Feature Race (33 Laps or 60 minutes + 1 Lap)

14:45-15:45: Paddock Club – Pit Lane Walk

15:00-15:30: Drivers’ Parade

16:44-16:46: National Anthem

16:45-16:47: Etihad & Al Fursan Air Display

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

Yas Marina F1 Concerts

February 2026 Update: Race tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and the first headline acts have been announced. Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson will perform on the opening night of race weekend this year, on Thursday December 3. Further headline acts will be announced at a later date.

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.

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 are finished before 23:00. To be able to access the concert venue, you’ll need to have your ticket scanned upon entry – a separate ticket is provided in the app for all concerts. There’s no longer a requirement to get a wristband before entering the concert venue. 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).

Due to the fact that the capacity of Etihad Park is lower than for the circuit, it’s recommended to arrive early for popular acts. The gates may be closed if the capacity of the venue is reached. Golden Circle upgrades for the concerts, which give priority views near the front of the stage plus fast-track entry to the arena, will be available at a later date in our ticket shop.

Recent Headline Acts

Katy Perry, Post Malone, Metallica and Benson Boone were the headline acts at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. At the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the concerts were headlined by Peggy Gou & Teddy Swims, Maroon 5, Eminem and Muse. Learn more about F1 concerts here.

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 the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 3 and 4-day ticket holders receive complimentary 1-day access to a Yas Island theme park of their choice: Ferrari World Yas Island Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Yas Island Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World™ Yas Island Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, or the immersive teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi. Ticket holders also receive complimentary entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Watan. =

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. So-called ‘Oasis’ areas (with food and drinks for sale) and fan zone activities are located the 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). Check out sample food and drink prices from the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the photo gallery below.

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.

Prohibited Items at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (TBC for 2026)

Alcohol

Animals (except service animals to aid guests with disabilities)

Bottles, cans, thermos flasks and beverage containers of any kind except the refillable water containers

Food is strictly prohibited (excluding baby food and food required for medical purposes)

Umbrellas (unless purchased within the venue)

Firearms, knives and weapons of any kind

Fireworks / Flares / Laser Lights

Musical instruments, sound amplifying devices including loudhailers, air horns or similar devices

Video cameras and the use of video capable devices including GoPro or similar devices

Cameras – inclusive of camera lens – exceeding 30 cm

Chairs, stools or other seating devices

Any large article that cannot be placed under a seat

The carriage and operation of drones (or any such aircraft) is prohibited

Rollerblades, skateboards, hoverboards, bicycles or scooters

Flags with handles exceeding 1 metre, or contain profanity or messages that could be deemed offensive

Cooler boxes (hard or soft), picnic hampers and large backpacks

Any device that in the opinion of management has the potential to cause injury, damage to the venue or public nuisance