With the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the horizon – where the Formula One drivers' title will be decided – preparations at Yas Marina Circuit are reaching the crucial final stages.
Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar means the championship is up for grabs at Abu Dhabi's season finale. The Red Bull driver sits 12 points behind leader Lando Norris, while his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, also has an outside shot at clinching the title.
At the centre of it all is Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, the chief executive of Ethara, the organisation responsible for delivering what is one of the region's key sporting events.
Under his leadership, the race has developed into a major global spectacle that brings together sport, culture and entertainment while drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the UAE each year.
Speaking to The National ahead of race weekend, Al Noaimi provides an inside look at the scale of operations involved, the year-round planning cycle, and the innovations fans can expect in 2025.
He also reflects on the evolution of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since its first race back in 2009 and the responsibility of maintaining its position as the season-ending finale on the F1 calendar.
Q: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is just days away. What is the atmosphere like at Yas Marina Circuit as the team enters the final stretch?
A: The atmosphere is buzzing. There is activity all around the circuit. The team is working on the final touches of planning, delivery and execution to create another historic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is our 17th edition and year on year we refine, improve and enhance. 2025 is going to be the biggest and best Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in history.
The Abu Dhabi GP is seen as the region’s biggest intersection of sport, culture and entertainment. From your perspective, what makes it so unique?
Yas Island was created from a blank canvas for major sporting and cultural events and as a tourist destination. The circuit, theme parks, attractions and hotels are all in proximity to each other and to the airport.
It offers a seamless journey where someone can spend a whole week watching the race, visiting theme parks, shopping, enjoying world-class food and beverage, then drive 15 minutes to Saadiyat Island for our cultural attractions.
We have the Louvre Museum, the Zayed National Museum opening, and a new Natural History Museum. There is plenty to offer in Abu Dhabi around the grand prix.
Can you walk us through what it takes to stage an event like this on this scale? What are the operations the public never sees?
It takes about 40,000 people to organise and deliver the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Planning is year-round. As you get closer to the event, you see all the parts coming together: early planning, procurement, resourcing.
Eighty-eight per cent of our workforce is UAE-based. We rely heavily on the local supply chain and work with over 500 suppliers, the majority Abu Dhabi-based. It takes a lot of coordination, stakeholder alignment and support. That is 17 years in the making of refining and improving the event.
So as soon as it is over, are you straight on to planning for the next year?
Yes. Some aspects of the next year are planned even before we deliver the current edition. The main planning phase starts two days after the grand prix.
We take one day of rest, then on Tuesday we meet for workshops, go through lessons learnt, what worked, what we can improve and what changes and enhancements we want for the next edition.
In the final week before the race, what is happening behind the scenes? What are the make-or-break moments?
The final week is when all the overlay comes together. All resources are trained, and they understand the plans and how to interact with customers.
Transportation solutions are tested to make sure the entire customer journey is seamless. The last mile to the venue is planned carefully. We also spend a lot of time walking the site and snagging.
Everyone in the company has a role in the grand prix and every pair of eyes is valuable to catch last-minute details before we open on Thursday.
Abu Dhabi Race winners gallery
How many people are you expecting this year?
Last year we had 192,000 attendees over the grand prix, 70 per cent from overseas and 50 per cent of those first-time visitors to Abu Dhabi. This year we expect to surpass that based on demand and ticket sales.
From a macroeconomic standpoint, last year we measured a direct Dh1.25 billion impact from visitors coming for the grand prix. Our expectations are to surpass that in 2025.
What is the single biggest challenge in delivering a grand prix at this level?
The biggest challenge is always how to change and improve things and plan everything in a seamless manner. Every year, we look to uplift and elevate the event.
Our objective is to improve the end-to-end customer journey and the value proposition of our ticket. We spend a lot of time discussing how to add value and raise the event to meet our customers’ expectations.
Ethara has built a reputation for innovation. What new technologies, fan experience upgrades or operational improvements are you introducing this year?
We have a new mobile application in 2025 for all guests. It includes tickets, real-time wayfinding and all event planning and scheduling.
On the ground there are many enhancements: better entertainment quality, improved audio in the grandstands through our PA system. We want customers on site to fully feel and enjoy every aspect of the racing. It will be a better and more integrated experience.
The Abu Dhabi GP has grown enormously since its first edition. As CEO, what makes you proud about its evolution?
I am extremely proud of the team. They constantly push for improvements and enhancements, put themselves in the shoes of our customers and challenge each other. We are an event company and a people company. Our biggest asset at Ethara is the team that delivers this spectacle.
The race is often described as a catalyst for Abu Dhabi’s tourism and wider economy. What kind of impact does it generate beyond visitor spending?
The grand prix is more than a tourism play. It is a global gathering where people come to experience Abu Dhabi’s hospitality and do business. We see strong growth in partners and corporate clients booking hospitality.
We also see more events in Abu Dhabi around race week, for example, Finance Week and major media summits. The week before and after the grand prix is a period of high energy when everyone wants to be in Abu Dhabi.
How do you see the UAE’s sport and entertainment landscape evolving? Where does the grand prix sit within the wider national vision?
Sport and culture are a major part of Abu Dhabi’s tourism strategy. We have invested heavily in events. As Ethara we execute, promote and deliver the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but also major events like NBA Games, UFC Showdown Week and cultural events such as Manar Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Hosn Festival.
They are key drivers of inbound tourism. From a global viewership perspective, some of our races have set records. The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had 110 million live viewers, which is still a record.
You spoke about entertainment and the effort to secure the right talent. How much does entertainment impact promoting the event?
It is a huge part of our event, our DNA and our value proposition. Our 2024 edition was awarded Event Spectacle of the Year by Formula One at the promoters’ awards. That shows how important entertainment is to what makes the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix unique.
We are very invested in elevating that offering and fans will see that in 2025. Across 16 editions we have brought over 100 Grammy Award-winning artists to our after-race concerts.
This year we have an amazing line-up, and the Yasalam Festival is expanding beyond after race concerts to other entertainment across Yas Island.
This year's title race will be decided under the Abu Dhabi lights. Do you welcome that kind of storybook ending?
We always hope for a championship-deciding race in Abu Dhabi. It always increases our TV viewership. A prime example is 2021, the Max Verstappen–Lewis Hamilton race decided on the last lap.
We had 108 million live TV viewers, higher than the Super Bowl that year, and it remains the most-watched race in F1 history. From a TV perspective, that is very positive.
But even when the title is already decided, the racing is exciting. Drivers want to end the season on a high. The champion also wants to finish dominant. We see very intense wheel-to-wheel racing, and with no need to save engines, drivers push the cars hard in Abu Dhabi.
What has the feedback been like from Formula One Group and the teams about the continued growth and reputation of the Abu Dhabi GP?
The feedback has been fantastic. As I mentioned, in 2024 we were awarded Event Spectacle of the Year by Formula One. They clearly see the value of our entertainment, our overall proposition and ticket inclusions.
It is positive feedback and we share our experience with other promoters around the 24-race calendar. We also welcome learning from them.
Many Emiratis and residents work on the event. How important is it to build a pipeline of regional talent and expertise?
We are very proud of our Yas Heat Academy, launched a few years ago. We recently announced new drivers joining the academy. We now have 10 drivers, six of them Emiratis.
The youngest is six and racing in karting, the oldest, Rashid Al Dhaheri, competes in Formula Regional around the world. The academy supports grassroots motorsport and develops future talent, both Emiratis and residents, ensuring a pipeline and hopefully a driver in the top tier of motorsport in the future.
