Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi, 24th November 2015 - From last weekend’s GP2 Series penultimate round at the Bahrain International Circuit, Indonesia’s Sean Gelael travels one hour by air further south down the Persian Gulf towards Yas Marina, venue of the final racing event of the season supporting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates.
The 19-year-old Sean had a disappointing weekend in Bahrain, with engine problems slowing his progress, although he was able to improve to the extent that he was one of the quicker drivers on the track in the closing stages of the sprint race with his Jagonya Ayam-supported Carlin car.
The state-of-the-art Yas Marina circuit was completed in 2009, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has usually featured GP2 action. It is a circuit where Gelael has never driven before, so he will be at a disadvantage compared to the many seasoned GP2 rivals who are on the grid. Even most of those who have never raced there will have experience of the track from last year’s post-season Abu Dhabi test sessions.
The track squeezes 21 corners into its 5.555 kilometres, and is notable for two long straights before a never-ending series of corners around the marina, which makes it appear like Monaco in a desert. It also has a complicated pit-lane exit, where drivers go through bends in a tunnel before emerging up a ramp onto the track – just as if they are coming out of an underground car park!
It is a very complicated track to learn and a very technical one to drive, so Sean will have to be up to speed quickly in Friday’s free practice session in order to be prepared for qualifying. Furthermore, it is renowned as being difficult to overtake here, so qualifying will be all-important.
On top of Gelael’s main programme this year, which was the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, his GP2 outings that began in July will have brought his total number of racing weekends of 2015 to a total of 14 by the end of the Abu Dhabi event, consisting of 27 races. That is a lot of learning, and hopefully this should stand him in good stead for his 2016 attack.
“We had some good moments in Formula Renault 3.5,” says Sean, “but it has been tough in GP2 so far because I started the season late and the other guys are so experienced. Abu Dhabi is a new track to me but is one that everybody who races at the top level needs to know, so I will be focused on making as much progress as I can this weekend. I want to end the season on a high because that will really be good motivation over the winter.” (ms/arl)
