Image credit Samyar Mirzaei
The Abu Dhabi Hill at Yas Marina Circuit is the General Admission area for the Formula 1 race.
Unlike most other F1 circuits, General Admission at Yas Marina doesn’t mean you can roam around the whole circuit to view the race. Instead you’re confined to the Abu Dhabil Hill area.
To give you an idea of what that includes, what the view is like and what to expect from these tickets, I’ve written this guide to the Abu Dhabi Hill at Yas Marina Circuit for the Grand Prix.
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Abu Dhabi Hill Grand Prix tickets
Abu Dhabi Hill General Admission tickets are the cheapest way to watch the Formula One at Yas Marina Circuit. There are two Abu Dhabi Hill ticket options:
- 2 day Abu Dhabi Hill ticket: 899 AED ($245 / £195)
- 3-day Abu Dhabi Hill ticket: 1,250 AED ($340 / £270)
The 2-day ticket gives you access to the Saturday and Sunday of the F1 race weekend (FP3, Qualifying and Grand Prix). It also gives you access to three of the four Abu Dhabi after-race concerts (Thursday, Saturday and Sunday). You can’t attend the Friday night concert.
The 3-day ticket gives you access to the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the race weekend. See the full Abu Dhabi F1 schedule for more info on what that includes. The 3-day ticket includes access to all four of the after-race concerts (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights).
Abu Dhabi Hill General Admission
General Admission tickets at the Abu Dhabi F1 race only give you access to watch the race from the Abu Dhabi Hill, which is a grassy area in the middle of the Yas Marina Circuit layout.
The ‘Hill’ is more a small mound where a row of palm trees sit (highlighted in blue on the image below) and where everyone jostles to find a spot as the higher position gives a better view. The rest of the area is only slightly sloped.
The part of the Hill that has Abu Dhabi written in big large letters is fenced off and isn’t used as a spectator area.
Unlike most other Formula 1 circuits, the Hill is the only place you can watch the on-track action from with General Admission tickets. There aren’t any other designated General Admission viewpoints around the circuit.
You can still roam around the circuit and check out some of the other Oases (Fan Zones) near the grandstands. But for watching the racing the Abu Dhabi Hill is the only place you can see what’s going on.
Abu Dhabi Hill F1 view
From the Abu Dhabi Hill General Admission area there are two main viewpoints of the track, in opposite directions.
The first is on the side of the Hill looking at Turns 2, 3 and 4 and up towards the North Grandstand at Turn 4 (blue arrows above).
You can either sit on the bank by the palm trees or stand a little nearer the fence at the edge of Turns 2 and 3. But you need to be on the bank to have a view over the fence.
This isn’t a very big area and it gets busy as it’s the better view, closer to the action. Although there’s no TV screen to watch from in this direction.
The video below shows this view at 8:05.
The next video also shows this view.
The second view from the Abu Dhabi Hill is looking in the other direction towards the long straight between Turns 5 and 6, over towards the West Grandstand (orange arrows in the map above). This is the first Abu Dhabi DRS zone, so all you can really see here is the cars flying past at high speed after they’ve left Turn 5.
The 360 degree image below shows the second viewpoint. Grab the image and spin it around to get a feel for the area.
And the video below shows the views from this direction at 20:00 and shows the large TV screen.
And so does this video, which is looking down the long straight towards the West Grandstand / Turn 6.
General Admission - is it worth it?
You definitely get what you pay for. The 3-day ticket for General Admission on the Abu Dhabi Hill is about 800 AED (£220 / £175) cheaper than the cheapest grandstand seats, in the North Grandstand. But if you can’t afford the extra, then this is still a great way to experience the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The views from the Hill aren’t the best, but get a good spot facing towards turns 2, 3 and 4 and you’ll be really close to the track. At least there you’ll get a great sense of speed as the F1 cars pass you.
The grandstands are all covered to keep the sun off you, but the Abu Dhabi Hill area doesn’t really have any shade, so in the early afternoon sun it can still be a bit hot. But by the time the sun goes down it will be cool, maybe even a little cold. Check out my Abu Dhabi dress code guide for tips on what to wear.
It can also get busy, especially on the Sunday (race day) of the weekend. Make sure you get there nice and early, a few hours before the first session starts, if you want to find a good spot. You should also bring something to put on the grass to sit on. A picnic rug or blanket would do the job.
Being able to explore each different Oasis is a bonus, but you still have the Abu Dhabi Hill Oasis and the F1 Fanzone near the Main grandstand within walking distance. Plus, if you’re attending the Abu Dhabi after-race concerts, they’re pretty nearby in Etihad Park, behind the North grandstands.
Personally I’d pay the extra for a grandstand ticket. At least with that you know you’ve got a reserved seat all weekend and will have a great view from a raised vantage point.
Other Abu Dhabi F1 seating options
If after reading this you want to pay the extra for a grandstand seat, check out my spectator guides to each of the grandstands at Yas Marina:
Probably the best detailed review out there. I’ve read them all and it’s the best. Was wondering what are your thoughts on THE GARDEN ON YAS – GROUND PASS?
Thanks Anita – do you mean The Garden on Yas – General Access Pass? If so that sounds like a nice hospitality package!