Formula One
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi · December · Subject to availability
Early December — dates to be confirmed
The season's closing round, run from daylight into darkness on Yas Island, and the Gulf's principal winter gathering.
Yas Marina closes the season, and the finality gives the weekend a character the intervening rounds do not have. The race begins in late afternoon and finishes under floodlight, the transition handled by a lighting installation built for exactly that purpose. The circuit is modern, wide and comfortable, the marina sits inside the layout, and the infrastructure is the best on the calendar by a clear margin. Around the race, Abu Dhabi programmes a week that reaches well beyond the sport: concerts on the island, gallery openings on Saadiyat, and a dense schedule of private hospitality across the emirate and in Dubai an hour to the north. For Gulf principals it is the anchor of the winter season; for European visitors it is a reliable point at which to combine the end of the racing year with regional business.
- Month
- December
- Recommended stay
- 4–5 nights
- Nearest airports
- AUH · DWC
- Typical clientele
- Gulf family offices and sovereign investment principals, European and Asian visitors combining the round with regional business, senior figures from the sport's commercial and technical partners, and families for whom the December window is a fixed point.
Why it matters
The closing round concentrates Gulf sovereign, family office and industrial capital alongside the sport's commercial leadership at the point in the year when the following season's arrangements are being settled. Saadiyat's cultural programme and the emirate's investment calendar are timed to the same window, and the combination makes the week substantive rather than ceremonial. Infrastructure is not a constraint here, which is rare on this calendar.
How access is arranged
Hospitality around the closing round is arranged with authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist, subject to availability and upon request. Scott & Vale coordinates aviation, accommodation, ground movement and the surrounding cultural programme.
Scott & Vale coordinates travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design around this occasion, and makes introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist. The firm does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission.
Hospitality and travel
Where to stay
- Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
- The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal
- Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island
- Bulgari Resort Dubai
- One&Only The Palm
Properties are listed as editorial guidance. Scott & Vale holds no inventory and no claimed relationship with any property named here.
Arrival by air
- AUH — Zayed International Fifteen minutes from Yas Island; the region's business aviation handling is efficient even at peak.
- DWC — Dubai World Central Practical for principals basing themselves in Dubai; roughly an hour by road.
Helicopter. Rotations between Dubai and Yas Island operate through the weekend and remove the coastal road transfer, which is otherwise the weekend's only friction point.
Dining
- Hakkasan Abu Dhabi
- Talea by Antonio Guida
- Zuma Abu Dhabi
- Ossiano
- Beach House Saadiyat
Reservations are requested on a member's behalf, subject to availability.
Suggested itinerary
- 01 Day One Arrival into Abu Dhabi and a first evening on Saadiyat, with the island's cultural programme running alongside the race week.
- 02 Day Two Practice in the afternoon and evening, preceded by a morning at Louvre Abu Dhabi or on the water toward the mangroves.
- 03 Day Three Qualifying under lights, with dinner arranged in the city or across the marina afterwards.
- 04 Day Four Race day from late afternoon, then the season's closing programme on Yas Island.
- 05 Day Five A recovery day, or an onward transfer to Dubai or the Empty Quarter before departure.
Scott & Vale support
- Private Jet
- Commercial First Class
- Luxury Hotels
- Luxury Chauffeur
- Restaurant Reservations
- Personal Concierge
- Executive Protection
- Private Guides
- Travel Planning
Enquiry
Plan this properly, and plan it early.
An enquiry reaches the team directly with the context of this entry attached. A member of the team will respond within the hour, wherever you are.
Frequently asked
Is it better to base in Abu Dhabi or Dubai?
Abu Dhabi for proximity and Saadiyat's cultural programme; Dubai for principals with business in the northern emirates, accepting an hour of road or a short rotation each way.
How does the day-to-night race affect planning?
Sessions run into the evening, so days remain usable. This is the most flexible round on the calendar in that respect.
What else is worth building into the week?
Saadiyat's museums, a desert programme in the Liwa or Empty Quarter, and the Gulf's winter sailing and diving conditions, which are at their best in December.
What does Scott & Vale arrange?
Aviation, accommodation, ground and air movement, dining, security and the wider regional itinerary, with introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Related events
Direct: info@scottnvale.com
Event names, marks and logos referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners. Scott & Vale is not an official partner, supplier or licensee of any event, organiser or rights holder named here, and no affiliation is implied. Scott & Vale does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission to any event. Travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design are arranged around these events, and introductions are made to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Photography: giggel — CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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