What are the challenges?
The sunset poses an interesting challenge, as drivers and teams need to adapt to changing conditions and temperatures.
Firstly, there is the impact on visibility, with drivers competing in changing light conditions that can also result in glare from the setting sun. Though the impact of this is minimal due to the driver’s dark visors and the circuit’s sophisticated floodlight system, which is designed to be “daylight-mimicking”.
There is also the fact that the first and third Practice sessions take place at different times of day from the race, limiting how translatable the learnings from these sessions are and increasing the importance of Free Practice 2.
However, the biggest impact is on the car’s balance and tyre performance. A setup and strategy that works well in the day, might not be as effective in the evening, when temperatures are much cooler. Tyre performance is heavily dependent on temperature, while a cooler track surface also decreases grip and increases the likelihood of understeer – all of which teams will need to compensate for when setting up the car.
The season so far
Oscar and Lando finished second and fourth, respectively, last time out in Qatar, meaning we head into the season finale in Abu Dhabi first and third in the Drivers’ Championship. Lando is top of the standings on 408 points, ahead of Max Verstappen on 396 and Oscar on 392.
