Anyone been to the Abu Dhabi GP?
Discussion
Mrs Moroni is currently away skiing in Austria. Yesterday she sent me this link: https://www.thetravelbrand.co.uk/offers/limited-ti... and asked if I fancied going.
Don't get me wrong, as she has zero interest in GP this would mean me either going alone, which really isn't a problem, or finding someone who'd fancy it.
I've been a massive GP fan for over odd years but have never attended one. So, is this a good race to break my duck? I've never been to AD so it would also give me the chance to have a look around too.
TIA
Don't get me wrong, as she has zero interest in GP this would mean me either going alone, which really isn't a problem, or finding someone who'd fancy it.
I've been a massive GP fan for over odd years but have never attended one. So, is this a good race to break my duck? I've never been to AD so it would also give me the chance to have a look around too.
TIA
Yes, I live in Dubai and have been there more often than not, since the circuit opened.
It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Sandpit Steve said:
Yes, I live in Dubai and have been there more often than not, since the circuit opened.
It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Just out of interest... What's the atmosphere like? I know that years ago it was half empty and generally filled with people with some sort of commercial interest/invite..It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Is it now a bonafide sporting event that attracts the man on the street and everyone gets excited about? I hope so, that's kind of the positive point I have argued is a good reason for F1 going to the ME.
TheDeuce said:
Sandpit Steve said:
Yes, I live in Dubai and have been there more often than not, since the circuit opened.
It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Just out of interest... What's the atmosphere like? I know that years ago it was half empty and generally filled with people with some sort of commercial interest/invite..It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Is it now a bonafide sporting event that attracts the man on the street and everyone gets excited about? I hope so, that's kind of the positive point I have argued is a good reason for F1 going to the ME.
It's always packed, the elevators take you straight down to the bars for that light refreshment required in the Abu Dhabi heat, and everytime we've ended up having a good laugh with people around us, it's a great event with a good atmosphere if results aren't already wrapped up for the season, which obviously takes away some of the excitement.
Yetski said:
TheDeuce said:
Sandpit Steve said:
Yes, I live in Dubai and have been there more often than not, since the circuit opened.
It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Just out of interest... What's the atmosphere like? I know that years ago it was half empty and generally filled with people with some sort of commercial interest/invite..It sounds like a good deal, the tickets are around £500 each for the grandstand. The hotel is in the city, which is half an hour from the circuit, about £15-£20 each way in a cab, or if you don’t want to drink rent a car and park in the mall next door to the circuit. Don’t, whatever you do, drink anything and drive, there’s zero tolerance and taxis are cheap and plentiful. You can do it cheaper, by staying in Dubai and cabbing each day, about £40 each way.
The event itself is well organised. There’s not a lot of queuing, and not much walking if you don’t want to, there’s the ‘fan zone’ of entertainment, and F&B outlets including bars and fast food. Grandstands are all covered. Support races are usually F2, Porsche Supercup, and Gulf Regional F4. The area around the circuit is full of hotels and entertainment venues, including the Etihad Arena, the Marina, the Ferrari theme park and a huge water park. There will be plenty of nightlife there, if that interests you.
The concerts are generally announced nearer the time, but at least one act will be a genuine A-list international artist. I’ve seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Kylie Minogue to Rhianna to Eminem there, rather annoyingly I missed Prince.
The biggest risk is that, being the last race of the season, it’s a dead rubber as far as the championship is concerned. On the other hand, it could be like 2021, and I can tell my future kids that I was there that day!
Is it now a bonafide sporting event that attracts the man on the street and everyone gets excited about? I hope so, that's kind of the positive point I have argued is a good reason for F1 going to the ME.
It's always packed, the elevators take you straight down to the bars for that light refreshment required in the Abu Dhabi heat, and everytime we've ended up having a good laugh with people around us, it's a great event with a good atmosphere if results aren't already wrapped up for the season, which obviously takes away some of the excitement.
TheDeuce said:
Just out of interest... What's the atmosphere like? I know that years ago it was half empty and generally filled with people with some sort of commercial interest/invite..
Is it now a bonafide sporting event that attracts the man on the street and everyone gets excited about? I hope so, that's kind of the positive point I have argued is a good reason for F1 going to the ME.
To be general, my observation would be that the atmosphere has an inverse relationship to the ticket price. Is it now a bonafide sporting event that attracts the man on the street and everyone gets excited about? I hope so, that's kind of the positive point I have argued is a good reason for F1 going to the ME.
GA is a pretty good party, despite being outside with no shade (wear a hat, folks!). The public grandstands (North, West, South, and Marina) are all good atmospheres too, with the bar getting very busy before the race.
All of the above are filled with genuine fans, not those on corporate jollies. When I was last there in 2021, there were *lots* of orange shirts in all the grandstands.
Main grandstand is full of couldn’t-afford-the-paddock-club types, and there’s not much of a view of the track from there. Club seats in the other grandstands are similar, but with a better view, air conditioning, and a bar in the stand. There’s also loads of corporate entertainment on boats in the marina.
While the event is usually sold out, and they’ve experimented with various ticket types during the years, the place is never more than half full until qualifying, and doesn’t get actually busy until about half an hour before the race starts on Sunday. Lots of people turn up right at the end of the day on Thu/Fri/Sat, just to see the concerts. A three-day ticket also lets you in on Thursday for a pit walk, which is good fun if you’re there anyway.
We are almost ready to book for the AD GP having narrowed our choice down to 2 companies - Grand Prix Grand Tours (GPGT) or Formula Escapes (FE). There's not much to choose between them in terms of price or tickets (both provide grandstand tickets for 3 days). GPGT use hotels in Dubai, requiring a longer transfer to the circuit whereas FE use hotels in Abu Dhabi.
We don't know anything about either of these companies (or any others for that matter) so if anyone does any comments, good and bad would be useful. Any further tips, do's and don'ts would also be appreciated.
We don't know anything about either of these companies (or any others for that matter) so if anyone does any comments, good and bad would be useful. Any further tips, do's and don'ts would also be appreciated.
Wonderful when the championship is decided at the last race.
I have been there 3 times. Perfect organisation.
Last visit was Paddock Club and the hotel over the circuit which now has a new name,
Great being able to have major circuit access, excellent hospitality or even watch from the room.
Negative is I can never expect more and have not been to an F1 since
I have been there 3 times. Perfect organisation.
Last visit was Paddock Club and the hotel over the circuit which now has a new name,
Great being able to have major circuit access, excellent hospitality or even watch from the room.
Negative is I can never expect more and have not been to an F1 since
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