I don't think it's a case of the organisers simply putting it in there. They would have run it past the FIA first, who would have reviewed it and made recommendations. And it's not like the drivers are idiots about this sort of thing, either: the white line might be before the corner, but that doesn't mean they'll be taking it flat out. They'll get used to it as the weekend goes on, so by the end of it, they'll know precisely how to take it.
It's the former. It's like one of those funky fibre optic tassle-y things; the lights can be programmed to change in sequence.
When things are on the line, don't bet that they won't be taking the pit exit as quickly as possible.
And I don't think an accident will occur simply because it is different. Seriously, how often are there problems in the pit exit? All drivers leave the pits at least eight times during a race wekeend. With twenty dirvers, that's one hundred and sixty in a weekend. In twenty races - yeah, I'm rounding up - there's over two thousand pit exits in a single year. And how many times has someone made a mockery of it? The only one I can think of if Nico Rosberg in Singapore.
My argument is not that it will be a non-issue, but rather that everyone is making too much of it. The organisers in Abu Dhabi have no doubt planned for this sort of thing. There will likely be marshalls with flags, and the exit is wide enough so that oncoming cars can pass around the outside, and teams will no doubt relay information to drivers. In the event that a car blocks the pit exit, I would not be surprised to learn that a section of pit wall is actually removeable so that cars can exit before going down to the tunnel, with yellow flags to warn drivers on the circuit of the change in conditions.
I think he means in the context of the actual tunnel; it goes from light in the actual lane to dark in a moment as the cars go under the tunnel. There's probably going to be lights in there, and the corner is intentionally sharp. The drivers will have to slow for it.
The chicane can be taken straight, but it won't be. There's no run-off area in the hairpin, so it cannot be taken at speed. Given how wide and smooth the circuit is and the succession of corners, I think the idea is that the drivers have to take the chicane carrying a bit of speed for a good time, but if they get it wrong, they'll be slow in the hairpin and lose time - and with it, position - on the straight. As for the last section, you have to bear in mind that Senna is driving nearly a minute slower than the projected lap time. Some of those corners will be much quicker than shown.
Uh, nope. They're in the same region, and they're not that far apart.
Well, I thought that since Bahrain was an island, that it would be more humid, and the UAE is on a mainland if I am correct, I would think the conditions would be similiar(sp) to the old Ceasar's Palace Grand Prix, where the conditions where so dry that drivers were dehydrating.
So at least intial impressions are that it's not the absolute disaster people were expecting. We'll just have to wait until next week when the first laps are driven in anger for a fuller account. More testing later today.
