Abu Dhabi Grand Prix chiefs have revealed that track changes will be made to the Yas Marina circuit for this November's Formula 1 race in the wake of criticisms about a lack of overtaking at last year's event.
With drivers and team chiefs critical after the 2010 race that the track layout had failed to produce much excitement – despite being designed to promote passing – officials have agreed to make modifications. The exact nature of those changes has not been made public yet, but they are likely to be concentrated on the sequence of corners at the beginning and end of the long back main straights, plus the area between Turns 11 and 14.
Yas Marina's CEO Richard Cregan told AUTOSPORT: "We are always looking at ways of improving the facility and the show. And you can never stop working on safety. There are plans in place and they will be carried through before the grand prix. This shows that we are serious about the business we are in."
Cregan said that with Abu Dhabi seeking to add MotoGP to its roster, it made sense to make the most of any modifications that would be needed for motorbikes.
"We thought that if we were modifying the circuit to make it suitable for bikes, then we'd better ask ourselves what we could do to enhance the show for cars at the same time," he said.