Image credit Doris
The Marina grandstand at the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 circuit provides views of the second-longest straight on the circuit, plus the infield section around the marina before the cars disappear under the W-hotel at Turn 13.
The Marina grandstand also includes the Orange Zone where Max Verstappen’s hardcore Dutch fanbase cheer on their countryman all weekend long.
The guide includes all of my tips on choosing seats at Yas Marina Circuit in the Marina grandstand. It includes examples of the view from this stand, the best seats and a seating plan plus ticket info.
Contents
Abu Dhabi Marina Grandstand location
The Marina grandstand is located on the outside (right-hand side) of the long straight (that’s actually a slightly left-hand curve) between Turns 8 and 9 on the Yas Marina Circuit layout.
It’s also known as the Support grandstand as the seating areas are directly above the pit garages where the F1 support races (usually F2 and F4) base themselves during the Grand Prix weekend.
The Marina grandstand is slightly earlier along this straight than the South grandstand. It’s also directly across the track from the ‘infield’ sections of turns 10, 11, 12 and 13 where the track goes around the marina, hence this grandstand’s name.
Marina Grandstand details
Levels
There is only one level of public seating in this grandstand, which is actually called Level 3.
Level 2, below the seating area, includes private glass suites and boxes where the Marina ‘brunch’ hospitality option is held.
Level 1 of the grandstand, on the ground floor, are the support race pit garages.
Cover
There is a large roof over the whole grandstand, but this is quite high above the front seats on Level 3. The grandstand is North-East facing, however, so the sun will be behind the grandstand all of the day and as it sets in the evening.
TV screens
There’s one large TV screen visible from this grandstand. It’s on the other side of the circuit directly in the middle of the grandstand.
Marina Grandstand Abu Dhabi F1 tickets
You can purchase 2 or 3-day tickets for the Marina Grandstand at the Abu Dhabi GP.
See Abu Dhabi ticket prices for the updated costs of tickets for the Marina Grandstand at this years’s GP.
When booking your tickets on the official Yas Marina Circuit website you can first select which section of the grandstand to sit in, then which specific seat you want. See lower down this guide for my tips on the best seats here.
You can also chose to sit in the Orange Zone of the Marina grandstand at Yas Marina Circuit with all of the other hardcore partying Dutch Max Verstappen fans.
The other option is to go for the VIP Marina Views Bruch hospitality package. With this you have a private suite and balcony on Level 2 of the Marina grandstand where you can host up to 40 guests, directly above the support race pit garages.
Prices for this start at over 6000 AED ($1600 / $1300) per person.
Marina Grandstand Abu Dhabi seating plan
Below is the seating plan for the Marina Grandstand at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix track.
As the Marina Grandstand seating plan shows, the grandstand is made up 7 different sections. Each section has a total of 15 rows of seats that are named A (front row lowest down) to Q (back row highest up). There is no row I (‘eye’) or O (‘oh’).
The seat numbers increase from left to right as you stand on the track and look up at the stand. They start from 1 again at the beginning of each section.
Abu Dhabi Marina Grandstand views
The map below shows the areas of Yas Marina Circuit that can be seen from the Marina grandstand highlighted in pink.
As the map shows, not only can you see the straight directly in front of the stand but you can also see across the circuit to the section of track that goes around the marina, turns 10, 11, 12 and just about 13. Your view of these corners will change slightly depending which section of the stand you sit in, as below shows.
The video below shows the view from section 7 row J seat 17, the furthest section over to the left of the stand as you sit in it and look at the track.
As the video above shows, from here the F1 cars appear under the bridge right in front of the stand at high speed. You lose them out of sight as they enter Turn 9, but can then see them from the exit of Turn 9 all the way through to Turn 11.
You’ll briefly lose them out of sight at Turn 12 but can then catch a glimpse of them through Turn 13 as they disappear under the W Hotel.
This next video was filmed from the other end of the grandstand, section 1 row E seat 1. From here you have a great view of the cars entering Turn 9, then can see them all the way from the exit of Turn 9 through to the apex of Turn 12.
You lose them out of sight after that as the big yachts in the marina block the view of Turn 13.
This next video was filmed from section 2 row P, the second row from the back.
And this video was filmed from section 3 row Q, the back row.
Best seats in the Marina grandstand
Personally I’d recommend seats in either section 4 or 5 of the Marina grandstand at the Abu Grand Prix for two reasons. Firstly, the screen will be directly in front of you. Secondly, being centrally located in the stand gives you the maximum visibility of turns 10 – 13.
I’d always chose higher seats for the best vantage point, so would aim for row J and up.
The seats to avoid are section 1 seats 11 – 20 in the front few rows, rows A to D. These are directly in line with the large bridge over the track which can block the view slightly.
Is the Marina grandstand a good place to sit at Yas Marina Circuit?
The long straight in front of this grandstand is one of the Abu Dhabi GP DRS Zones, so you stand a decent chance of seeing some overtaking. But since Turn 9 was remodelled in 2021 to the faster corner that it is now, the braking zone has reduced and with it so have the number of overtakes.
This grandstand has amazing views of the infield and the marina, so if you want to bring some binoculars and do some celeb-spotting on the yachts then it’s the perfect place.
Turns 10 to 13 don’t often see that much passing as there’s pretty much one racing line through that section, but it’s a good demonstration of the F1 cars’ cornering ability.
The great thing about this grandstand is just how long you can see the cars for. With the combination of the straight and the section around the Marina you can see a lot of the action.
If you’re interested in attending the Abu Dhabi after-race concerts, they’re situated in Etihad Park which is behind the North grandstand. That’s easily a 45 minute walk from this stand so you’re best catching one of the circular shuttle buses to the venue.
The other benefit is that you access both the Marina Oasis, directly behind this grandstand, and the South Oasis, just a short walk away. Being able to access two Oasis is nice for a change of scenery and to check out the different entertainment across the Formula One weekend.
Other Abu Dhabi F1 grandstands / General Admission
Check out my guides to each of the other grandstands and the General Admission area at the Abu Dhabi F1 below:
