Yas Marina gear up early for a possible title-decider this year
VETTEL’S VICTORY IN AUSTRALIA HAS CIRCUIT’S CHIEF ANTICIPATING A THRILLING FINALE IN ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit chief executive Tareq Al Ameri is already envisaging the possibility of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel winning the 2018 Formula One Championship.
Vettel won the season-opener in Australia on Sunday and if he goes on to clinch the championship, a grand celebration will be on cards in Abu Dhabi, assures Al Ameri, whose circuit would be completing a decade of hosting the Formula One Grand Prix this year.
“Looks good so far after the Vettel winning and I feel it is a positive sign for Ferrari. If he can win it here, we will be celebrating big time in Abu Dhabi,” said Al Ameri on the sidelines of the announcement of the ticket sales and plans for the 2018 season-ending finale.
“You need to see a different champion, otherwise things will go stale. I think the strength of the brand Ferrari is huge. Anyone can relate to it,” added Al Ameri, whose team have already given the circuit a facelift with a vibrant new design to go with the new F1 logo.
“It’s about timing. It was there for a long period of time and has been established as a brand. When you want to move things to a different direction, we have to create changes and us at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fully understand that and are behind it,” he said.
For the 10th edition, the focus will be more on providing racing fans with more options. The ticket buyers will be able to book their preferred seats in one of the five available grandstands when buying online.
“We have launched our ticket sales. From the feedback that we got in 2017, it is clear people want more options. We have redesigned a lot of products so that we engineer it suitably for the customer. There will be addons, free park passes, cultural experiences as well as upgrades to concert. It allows people to experience more of the event. The whole thing is about flexibility and choices,” said Al Ameri, adding that, more focus will also be on going digital.
“We want to engage more with our customers. We have always been pushing our digital platforms and this year we are fully adopting that. With our ‘SWIPE UP’ we are sending out a message to people that if they want to know more, then SWIPE UP and discover more. Understand more about the race and what Abu Dhabi is offering. I think we are seeing a niche with the Abu Dhabi GP moving into that digital stuff,” revealed Al Ameri, who asserted that they are happy to keep Abu Dhabi GP as the last race.