Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Yas Marina Circuit unveils major tech upgrades

Yas Marina Circuit’s race control room – a behind-the-scenes hub, secret yet vital to every decision on track – has received a multi-million-dirham upgrade ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The room serves as the nerve centre of the circuit during practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself, where officials manage the start and finish of the Grand Prix, enforce rules, and oversee all track operations to ensure safety for drivers, staff, and the thousands of fans in attendance.

According to officials, the upgraded race control room is now one of the most technologically advanced in global motorsport.

Ali Al Beshr, General Manager of Yas Marina Circuit at Ethara, said: “As host of the F1 season finale, Yas Marina Circuit is the stage for historic moments, be it a title-deciding race or a driver's farewell. That raises the stakes and motivates us to continuously innovate our infrastructure so the sport can be experienced at its absolute best. This upgraded control room gives officials the technology and environment to make split-second decisions with confidence, so the racing itself can shine.”

What’s new

At the heart of the upgrade is a suite of smart systems designed to make race control faster, more flexible, and future-proof. Operators can route any of the circuit’s 55 camera feeds, timing systems, race logs, car trackers, or broadcast feeds to any workstation monitor instantly via tablet control – no additional equipment or IT callouts required.

The upgrade simplifies integration for international championships, allowing fly-in series like Formula 1 to fully utilise the circuit’s infrastructure without shipping hardware, reducing setup time, cost, and complexity.

Human-centric design

During the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, 28 officials will operate in the race control room, with some working shifts of up to 12 hours. It features a theatre-style tiered layout for unobstructed views of the main display screens. A darker colour palette and dimmable LED strip lighting reduce glare, while custom ergonomic workstations with embedded comms, connectivity, and wireless charging minimise visual clutter and fatigue.

“The Yas Marina Circuit control room has been years in the making, and we’re proud of the result. We didn’t just meet FIA standards – we exceeded them. Every detail creates a working environment built for the world’s greatest motorsport championships. Simply put, it’s one of the most technologically advanced race control facilities in world motorsport,” said Stuart Latham, Safety and Operations Director, Yas Marina Circuit.

The control room made its operational debut during the Yas Racing Series from October 31 to November 2. The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place from December 4 to 7.