The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP preview: Everything you need to know about this week's race!

The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP preview: Everything you need to know about this weekend's race!

F1 heads to the United Arab Emirates for the season finale with double points on offer at the Yas Marina Circuit.

So read on below as Sky Sports Online provides your one-stop guude for everything you need to know about the grand prix weekend.

The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP in a nutshell

Track: Yas Marina Circuit. Permanent Circuit.

Race start time: 1pm UK time Sunday (5pm local).

Laps: 55.

Track length: 5.554 km.

Tyre allocation: Soft (yellow) and supersoft (red).

DRS Zones: Two with separate detection points – between turns seven and eight and between turns ten and 11.

Driver steward: TBA.

Lap record: Sebastian Vettel - 1:40.279 (Red Bull; 2009).

2013 pole: Sebastian Vettel - 1:39.957 (Red Bull).

Sky Sports F1's schedule

Thursday 20th November
11am - Drivers' Press Conference - Live!
8:45pm – Gear Up for Singapore.
9pm – Classic F1 – 2010 Abu Dhabi GP.
 
Friday 21st November
7:15am - GP2 Practice - Live!
8:45am – Abu Dhabi GP Practice One - Live!
11:10am – GP3 Qualifying – Live!
12:45pm – Abu Dhabi GP Practice Two - Live!
3:05pm – GP2 Qualifying – Live!
4pm – Team Principals’ Press Conference.
5pm – The F1 Show – Live! 

Saturday 22nd November
8am – GP3 Race One – Live!
9:45am – Abu Dhabi GP Practice Three - Live!
11:15am – Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying – Live!
2:35pm – GP2 Feature Race – Live!
6:50pm – Ted’s Qualifying Notebook.

Sunday 23rd November
8:55am – GP3 Race Two – Live!
10:15am – GP2 Sprint Race – Live!
11:30am – The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP – Track Parade – Live!
12pm - The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP – Race – Live !
3:3opm - The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP – Paddock Live!
6:15pm – 2014 Abu Dhabi GP Highlights.
7:15pm – Ted’s Race Notebook.

Form guide
Sebastian Vettel is the most successful driver in Abu Dhabi having taken victory at three of the five previous grands prix in the emirate. Lewis Hamilton (2011) and Kimi Raikkonen (2012) are the only other drivers to have stood atop the F1 podium at the Yas Marina Circuit.

2013 result: 1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2. Mark Webber (Red Bull); 3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes); 4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus); 5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari); 6. Paul Di Resta (Force India); 7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 8. Felipe Massa (Ferrari); 9. Sergio Perez (McLaren); 10. Adrian Sutil (Force India).

Last five winers in Abu Dhabi: 2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2012: Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus); 2011: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren); 2010:  Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2009: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull).

Tyre allocation

Pirelli will bring the two softest compounds in their range to Abu Dhabi – the yellow-marked soft and red-banded supersoft.

The Italian firm says that “Abu Dhabi is one of the smoothest tracks of the year, and well-known territory for Pirelli, with a lot of the company’s testing carried out there prior to its arrival in Formula 1. 

“The race takes place into the evening, with ambient and track temperatures dropping, The most suitable tyre choice is the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft, which will put the accent on strategy.”

Motorsport Director Paul Hembery added: “The strategy is normally greatly affected by the unusual track evolution, due to the falling temperatures caused by the late afternoon start.

“This was the case in Bahrain as well, which turned out to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable races of the season earlier this year.

“As a result, the free practice sessions will be particularly crucial, as the teams try to gather as much information as possible about how the car will perform on both compounds: not just with different fuel loads, but also with different track temperatures.

“As so many points are on offer, there is a big opportunity for teams that have less to lose to try an unexpected strategy, in order to make some potentially significant gains.”

Sky Bet odds

Lewis Hamilton is favourite for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Sky Bet with Brazil victor Nico Rosberg second favourite. Check out the full range of odds here.

The 2014 Abu Dhabi GP is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Extensive coverage of the title deciding race begins at 11:30am on Sunday with lights out at 1pm.