Abu Dhabi: After four successive sell-outs, the Yas Marina Circuit will now open its ‘Abu Dhabi Hill’ to accommodate extra spectators for the 2013 Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — the fifth running of which will take place on November 3 this year.
Organisers announced the start of ticket sales with a 20 per cent early bird discount available until May 31 for the 2013 edition, which will see an increase in the number of spectators from 50,000 to 55,000.
Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit, said: “With the great start that we have seen this year to the championship, it promises to be another intense battle for the individual and team titles. We have earned a reputation over the four years as an exciting and entertaining stop on the F1 carnival and we aim to better that this year.
“Being our fifth anniversary, we are taking it a step further and extending the fun and fanfare of the weekend to more local and international fans than ever before with unique new ticketing options that include a greater range of on and off-track entertainment choices.”
The Yas Marina Circuit is adding new ticket categories to increase the capacity. These new tickets will be available as part of the Abu Dhabi Hill General Admission, Yas Trackside Terrace and Yas Marina Yacht Club categories.
“The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has become the cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s growing calendar of world-class events,” said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer.
“As title sponsor we look forward to welcoming an even greater number of visitors to Abu Dhabi to experience what will be an unforgettable fifth anniversary race weekend.”
The artists for the after-race concerts are yet to be announced, while the support races for this year’s edition are the GP2 and GP3 Series, as well as the Porsche Supercup. Also part of the F1 fiesta is the Yasalam festival, which runs for a month before the race weekend and sees free concerts, film nights and community events take place across the capital.
With about 35 per cent of spectators hailing from outside the country last year, the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) is keen to increase that figure to 42 per cent this year. “On the back of exciting new ticket options and several major new resort and attraction openings across Abu Dhabi, we anticipate even greater interest from seasoned motorsport fans and regional and international leisure travellers,” said Sultan Al Dhaheri, Director of Tourism Eco-Systems at TCA Abu Dhabi.
