Abu Dhabi: As the temperature drops here in the UAE, the heat at the Yas Marina Circuit has picked up as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is in full swing. Having been lucky enough to attend day one and two of the competition, I'm now ready for today's final and exhilarated from the roar of the Formula One cars that pass by like lightning.
Abu Dhabi has been in the Formula One family since 2009 — this weekend being its third successive Grand Prix. The UAE's hallmark creativity, style and seamless delivery is present in abundance and meeting every expectation of the fans that have flocked here from around the globe to fill the 50,000 grandstands at the circuit. I for one, as UK Ambassador to the UAE, am certainly very proud to witness this success.
Simply electric
The fact that the 2011 champion, the incredible Sebastian Vettel, is already pronounced has not dampened the atmosphere here one bit — in fact it's simply electric. And with the overall second place still up for grabs there's still a lot at stake here. Naturally my bias is towards British stars Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button — both driving McLaren Mercedes.
The UK and the UAE's love for motor-racing cannot be overstated — fast cars, superb driving and exceptional engineering is in the bloodstream of both our sport-hungry nations.
In the Yas Marina Circuit, the UAE should be proud to host one of the fastest tracks in the world and the only track to offer daylight-to-dusk driving. The UK's own Silverstone Circuit has been proudly hosting Grand Prixs since 1948.
The UK is home to a wealth of world-class design, precision and high-performance engineering companies. Around 4,000 companies in the UK are involved in the manufacturing industry related to motor spot and eight of the 12 teams competing in this F1 season are based in the UK, including Red Bull, Virgin, Force India and Williams.
These figures make it unsurprising that every Formula One car in the world has an element of UK innovation, be it in its design, assembly or manufacture. Combined with the managerial and entrepreneurial skills of Formula One boss Bernie Eccelstone leaves little doubt about the UK's place as a global leader in the sport.
Exactly a year ago, I was privileged to host the British Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart in my Abu Dhabi residence. Sir Jackie Stewart won 27 Grands Prix on his way to three Formula 1 titles during his distinguished driving career.
The guests and I were honoured by Sir Jackie's personal insight into the sport and learnt also about his dedication to raising awareness of motor-racing safety.
The tragic death of British Indy car racer Dan Wheldon at the season finale in Las Vegas last month only highlights the importance of further work in the area of motor racing safety and I praise the work that Sir Jackie and others are doing here.
Thrilled by the race
So as I take my seat at the final today I will not only be thrilled by the race, be filled with anticipation for the winners, and enjoy all the splendours of the Yas Marina surroundings but I will also spare many thoughts to all the amazing minds and technical expertise that goes into making this seemingly impossible sport possible.
The British and UAE passion for Formula One and the wider motor sports industry give me confidence for a future of collaboration in technological exchange and I'm very excited about what this partnership can produce.
The writer is the UK Ambassador to the UAE.
