Pirelli aren’t shaking anything up for this final round, with the tyre selection being consistent with what’s been seen at this circuit for as long as it’s been on the calendar. They will bring the softest possible compound range for the teams and drivers – the C3 as the hard, C4 as the medium and C5 as the soft.

The Yas Marina Circuit underwent significant changes in 2021 making the lap much more flowing and increasing the overtaking opportunities, but even so, the level of force being exerted on the tyres remains low due to the lack of high speed corners. The track surface sits at the season average level of abrasiveness and offers average grip levels too, meaning it can rubber in quickly over the weekend’s running helped along by the support series running.

As the third consecutive night race, temperatures will play a role in how the tyres perform – FP1 and PF3 take place during the daylight, while FP2, Qualifying and the Grand Prix all take place from dusk to dark – resulting in a reduction in temperature and a change in track conditions over the different sessions. Contrary to what the teams experienced in Las Vegas and Qatar, Abu Dhabi will be fairly warm, with temperatures over the weekend’s sessions expected to sit around 26-27°C.

Pirelli predict that graining could have a significant impact on the tyres’ performance making it likely to be a two stop race with an effective undercut. This was what was seen last year, with most drivers opting to start on the medium and move to a hard at their first stop between laps 7 and 17, moving again to a hard anywhere from lap 22-43. Those who pitted earlier for their first stop last year, like Daniel Ricciardo, did so out of necessity due to external factors like debris or punctures, meaning the stops are unlikely to start until around lap 12.

Again in contrast to Qatar, the teams are likely to observe a drop off in performance of the tyres without management so making a one-stop work could be tough, but not impossible for those cars that can manage their tyres well. The C3 and C4 will be most prevalent through the race, with the C5 being the qualifying tyre through the field. Though it could make an appearance in the race if snatching the fastest lap becomes critical for the constructors’ title permutations over the course of the race…