Last week, Yas Marina Circuit was the only place to be. For the sixth year, our capital city Abu Dhabi hosted Formula One’s only twilight race — Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2014, the biggest international sporting event in the region.
Being at Yas Marina Circuit was an electrifying experience for drivers as well as spectators, with a picturesque waterfront setting to match that of Singapore and Monaco. But the party began even before the races, as I was invited by Tag Heuer as their celebrity partner to the launch of their new model by F1 driver Jenson Button. It was luxury and style at its best as I was escorted in a chauffer-driven limo, as was my fellow celebrity partner Nicole Rodriguez, founder of Diva Group, and Jamal Al Sheri, chairman and managing director of Dubai Studio City.
The extreme adrenaline rush was palpable in every corner of Abu Dhabi, and it was evident that the capital had been preparing for this event for a long time. The week-long celebrations also had off-track entertainment, such as live concerts featuring performances by major international artists, as well as VIP parties for F1’s top stars, making this the uncontested social and sporting event of the year.
And this is how it is the world over. The Grand Prix is not just a race, it is an experience, a social event where you get to hob-nob with the stars, the city’s best dressed, the rich and the famous — now who wouldn’t want to enjoy of piece of this pie?
“The F1 is quintessentially about precision driving and the incredible manoeuvring that drivers are able to execute at high speeds,” says Zaib Shadani, director of The Portsmouth Group. “I think at a certain level, everyone is fascinated by the need for speed and the element of danger that accompanies it,” she adds.
“I’ve been following the races since 1997, and through the years thoroughly enjoying the rivalry between David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen and Micheal Schumaker,” F1 enthusiast Farraz Patel, MD Invest Inc told me. “Almost every aspect of the F1 is fascinating… from the larger-than-life appeal of the events to the glitz and glamour of the spectators to the adrenaline rush associated with the F1,” he added.
Osiere Khan, partner at 88 Capital & Investments Ltd, has been an avid F1 follower for the past 20 years. While he is extremely fascinated with the sport, he welcomes the world class partying that comes along with it. “This sport spends an average ₣100 million [Dh458 million] per team per year. Races all over the world, in different time zones and all the celebrities and [the] who’s who can be seen there. No other similar sporting event comes close to it. So it has become a huge social event as well,” he said.
Be it the actual racing or the entertainment, Abu Dhabi has showcased its finest, and we can’t wait for the next season.