All thoughts of dates, deserts and dunes melt into the November afternoon as the sleek, screaming Formula One cars brake to a halt.
Phew, at least the Paddock Club glass front has not shattered. These state-of-the-art cars can reach a top speed of 317km/h at this track.
My senses are on overload at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit as I wait for Mark Webber and company to start their penultimate track battle of 2011's Formula One season.
From my vantage point in the exclusive Paddock Club, surely one of the most sought-after seating areas at each F1 event, I have a bird's-eye view of the pit lane.
The race cars resemble batmobiles coming in to roost at their stops - and they weigh all of 650 kilograms.
A walk along the pit lane earlier gave me a close-up look at the magnificent machines, each made up of as many as 80,000 components.
The best insight was at Force India's stable where the team practised the tyre-change routine over and over until they got the timing right, shaving off precious seconds every time.
In the feverish lead-up to the green light, each driver walks out on to a red carpet and then boards an open-topped bus for a full round of the course to give spectators a slow-motion view of the gladiators.
No matter how many times you see an F1 race on the small screen, you are not ready for the real thing - that thunderous moment when 24 cars rev their engines and step on the gas in unison and go from 0 to 100km/h in a mere four seconds.
I lift the headphones hoping to catch the squeal of Pirelli rubber on the track as Webber's Red Bull drives past after the first round. Let's say I did it just once.
After all, it was my first live experience of an F1 race.
I'm in Abu Dhabi to witness this raw spectacle at the 5.55km racecourse with its 55 laps and 21 turns.
The special thing about the Yas Marina event is that it starts in clear daylight and ends under floodlights.
As the cars speed by, the rush you feel is palpable with thousands of fans barracking for their favourite driver. It seems eerily quiet after the cars disappear to the right and you crane your neck to the left wondering when they will appear on the horizon, yet again.
The Yas Viceroy Hotel enjoys the rare privilege of being situated bang next to an F1 track, and part of it spans the race circuit.
As the sun sets, the hotel looks like a giant dolphin that's flopped at the side of the track, its LED canopy changing colours with each twist and turn on the tarmac.
From our Paddock Club balcony we can see the Red Bull pit wall - the area where the team owner, managers and engineers spend the race.
That day we had a bonus. Champion Sebastian Vettel has crashed out in the first lap and limped back to the pit lane. He then joined the Red Bull crew at the pit wall, donned the headphones and joined them monitoring teammate Webber's progress as the Australian hit top gear.
There was no fairytale finish for Webber who always seemed to be in touch with the leaders. It was Lewis Hamilton who took the honours this time.
Webber's moment of glory was to be in the next race in Brazil, the last on the 2011 F1 calendar.
Each F1 race track has its own flavour - starting with our very own Albert Park in March - from the picturesque Monaco Grand Prix and Singapore's night race to India's challenging new track and Brazil's Sao Paolo, where it all ends in November.
So folks, start your engines as the F1 juggernaut hits the road with Melbourne as its first stop.
* The writer was a guest of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Etihad Airways.
FACTBOX
2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE CALENDAR:
- * March 16-18 - Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
- * March 23-25 - Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix (Kuala Lumpur)
- * April 13-15 - UBS Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
- * April 20-22 - Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)
- * May 11-13 - Gran Premio De Espana Santander (Catalunya)
- * May 24-27 - Grand Prix De Monaco (Monte Carlo)
- * June 8-10 - Grand Prix Du Canada (Montreal)
- * June 22-24 - Grand Prix Of Europe (Valencia)
- * July 6-8 - Santander British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
- * July 20-22 - Grosser Preis Santander Von Deutschland (Hockenheim)
- * July 27-29 - Eni Magyar Nagydij (Budapest)
- * Aug 31-Sept 2 - Shell Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)
- * Sept 7-9 - Gran Premio Santander D'Italia (Monza)
- * Sept 21-23 - Singtel Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)
- * Oct 5-7 - Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
- * Oct 12-14 - Korean Grand Prix (Yeongam)
- * Oct 26-28 - Airtel Indian Grand Prix (New Delhi)
- * Nov 2-4 - Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina)
- * Nov 16-18 - United States Grand Prix (Austin)
- * Nov 23-25 - Grande Premio Do Brasil (Sao Paulo)
