Q: The first connection between Abu Dhabi and Formula One was a five percent share of the investment company Mubdala in Ferrari. Then there was the Ferrari theme park. Was a Formula One track part of the big picture right away?
Hermann Tilke: "No, the race track was not part of the plan initially. We have been taking care of this project since January 2006 and although there was a track planned it was not intended for Grand Prix racing. It was meant to be developable to F1 standard but the original plan did not foresee a World Championship race. That only started to take shape in the second part of 2006."
Q: And did the initial thought come from the Arabs or from Ecclestone?