Abu Dhabi - Formula One makes its debut in Abu Dhabi on the weekend in the 2009 season-ender which no longer has a title race but several farewells. Jenson Button has secured the drivers title and his Brawn GP team the constructors crown ahead of the race on the 5.554-kilometres Yas Marina course.
The F1 cars will be racing through a hotel, the pit lane exit has a tunnel and for the first time in F1 history a race will start in daylight and be completed as the sun sets.
That is only fitting as the final curtain falls on Fernando Alonso's second stint at Renault, Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, and possibly on other drivers as well in their current position.
BMW are pulling out of the sport, the future of Toyota is not fully clear and there has also been some speculation about the future partnership between McLaren and Mercedes which resulted in three drivers titles over more than a decade.
Mercedes equip Brawn with engines amid speculation of a possibly broadened partnership in the future.
"We have nothing new to say about this. But I can say that we have options how we present ourselves in Formula One. And we have longer term deals with our partner McLaren," Mercedes official Norbert Haug told German Press Agency dpa.
McLaren will continue next season with dethroned world champion Lewis Hamilton while under-performing Heikki Kovalainen is on his way out.
Raikkonen appears to be a hot candidate for the second seat, while Poland's Robert Kubica leaves BMW-Sauber behind for a safe F1 future at Renault in place of Alonso.
"I would love to finish the season and my Renault career with a great result. It will be an emotional race because I have enjoyed so many special memories with this team ... Renault is one of the great teams in Formula One," said Alonso, who won two world titles in his first term at the French team.
BMW have the same in mind, with motorsport chief Mario Theissen speaking of "mixed feelings" and "a fair amount of sadness" ahead of the last race.
"With the exception of our fourth and unfortunately final season, I'm more than satisfied with what we have achieved since 2006," said Theissen, the highlight being one GP win from Kubica last year in Canada.
Button, meanwhile, is expected to have successful contract negotiations at Brawn after his title, while team-mate Rubens Barrichello could be leaving in a straight swap with German Williams driver Nico Rosberg.
Rosberg, and even more others such as BMW's Nick Heidfeld, will aim for a good race on Sunday to secure a future in the sport.
Another German, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, is one of the few drivers who still has a real aim on the weekend as he wants to keep his two-point advantage over Barrichello for a runner-up finish in the final standings.
"I want to consolidate second place, so I will be attacking all-out," said the three-time season winner Vettel.
Another last in Abu Dhabi is mid-race refuelling, which will be outlawed from 2010 onwards in another cost-cutting measure.
The action starts on Friday with two practice sessions, qualifying is Saturday and the 55-lap race on Sunday.
