2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Weather

Vettel lit up Yas Island with pole on Saturday

Vettel lit up Yas Island with pole on Saturday © Sutton
A dry day at Yas Island meant improving track conditions throughout final practice and qualifying, as Sebastian Vettel dazzled the opposition to take pole position under the lights for tomorrow's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Conditions will remain dry and clear throughout the rest of the evening and the eagerly anticipated race day will begin dry with clear skies. But, as we have seen over the past two days, there will be a slight risk of an isolated shower towards midday.

Any shower between now and the start of the race could see a return to the extremely poor track conditions witnessed on Friday following a midday downpour. That said, things are highly likely to stay dry throughout tomorrow, with increasing sunshine towards the early evening start time.

A stiffening breeze will again be a factor, with the possibility of dust in the atmosphere coupled with a drop in overall visibility. Forecasts predict a maximum temperature of 30 degrees for the day of reckoning, but this is expected to drop to around 29 or 28 Celsius by the time the race starts.

Four men will battle it out over 55 racing laps for the ultimate prize in motorsport. Join us tomorrow for all the action from Abu Dhabi as it happens, from 11:30 GMT.

Rain surprised many this morning

Rain surprised many this morning © LAT
A rogue shower at Yas Island sent the Formula 1 world into a spin before the cars had even turned wheel in practice today, but by the end of three hours running the championship contenders occupied the top four places on the timesheet.

Tonight there will be clear skies across Abu Dhabi as temperatures drop to around 22 Celsius in the early hours of the morning.

Saturday is set to be a potentially explosive day on track, with a final hour of practice for the teams and drivers to set up their cars and finalise race strategy. Tomorrow morning will dawn dry and clear, but latest weather models published this evening predict a slight risk of a midday shower. That risk is around 10 to 20 percent at the time of writing and, on the whole, it should stay dry.

Final practice and qualifying will take place on a dry track with largely clear skies overhead - but again there will be a freshening breeze in the afternoon, with temperatures set to peak at 30 degrees Celsius during final practice.

Will the four title contenders come to the fore once again? Join us for blow-by-blow coverage of Saturday's action, beginning with the final practice session from Yas Island at 09:45 GMT.

The sun is setting on the 2010 season

The sun is setting on the 2010 season © Sutton
The showdown in the desert will begin in less than 24 hours from now as four men fight for the right to be the 2010 Formula 1 world champion at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier today, the protagonists put their case forward to the media and, if points were awarded for talking, they could all claim an equal share in this season's drivers title. But tomorrow is where the real action starts and the desert location will do its best to provide some great weather for racing.

So far this week, weather conditions in Abu Dhabi have not reflected the brochure. A light thunderstorm produced a sprinkling of rain late on Tuesday evening, ending a 123-day dry spell. The event made the news in the local media on Wednesday with motorists reportedly marveled at the water falling from the sky, slowing down the flow of traffic.

Weekend Forecast

The threat of showers now seems to have passed, following what the locals have labeled a two-day 'rainy season', and normal service should be resumed for the next three days.

A 'Groundhog Day' forecast will be in effect once again with clear skies and just a few scattered clouds around during the daytime, with maximum air temperature reaching 30 or possibly 31 degrees Celsius. These conditions are expected on all three days, with no threat of rain to spoil what should be a highly-charged and enthralling end to the season.

The biggest factor of the weather this weekend will in fact be a strengthening wind, that may cause widespread dust in the local atmosphere at times. This will obviously have an effect on the grip level at the start of each day, and despite the dry conditions may lead to a reluctance to be first out onto the circuit - both on Friday and again at the beginning of Saturday afternoon practice.

Who will step up to the plate and grab the 2010 drivers crown by the scruff of the neck? Join us here on AUTOSPORT Live for all the action as it happens, starting with the first practice session on Friday at 08:45 GMT.

Motor racing fans around the globe are buzzing with excitement over the prospect of a four-way championship battle at the final round of the series this weekend at the Yas Marina complex near Abu Dhabi, following yesterday's Brazilian Grand Prix result.

Meanwhile, the teams and drivers quickly packed up and headed to the airport in Brazil and are now in transit for a long flight to the Middle East, with the knowledge that Red Bull Racing has clinched the 2010 constructors' title - and will most likely be the team to beat again this weekend.



Raincoats in Brazil on Friday night and Saturday will be replaced by shorts and T-shirts for the final round on the calendar, with hot and dry conditions expected at the circuit all week.

Temperatures will of course be high throughout the next six days, reaching 33 degrees during the early part of this week, but dipping slightly to around 30 Celsius during the three days of on track activity, while humidity is expected to be no higher than 60% between Friday and Sunday.

In truth, this weekend's forecast was never in doubt, but as always AUTOSPORT Live will continue to monitor conditions at the circuit, and we will publish a further update to the forecast on Thursday.