Ferrari World

Cool air meets you first. Outside, the desert heat presses down on Yas Island. Then you step under the great red roof, and the temperature drops. The sound changes too. Somewhere above, an engine note rises and falls. Children laugh. A coaster train rattles past on steel rails. The light inside is soft and even, filtered and controlled. You are standing inside one of the largest covered theme parks in the world, built as a tribute to a single car company.

Welcome to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. The park opened in 2010, and it was the first theme park anywhere to carry the Ferrari name. It sits on Yas Island, a stretch of reclaimed and developed land on the eastern side of Abu Dhabi. The island was planned as a destination for leisure and motorsport. Theme parks, hotels, a marina and a racetrack all share the same ground here. This building was one of the first major pieces of that plan.

Before you go deeper inside, think about the roof you just walked under. From above, it is a sweeping red shape, low and wide, with gentle curves along its edges. The designers took inspiration from the side profile of a classic Ferrari sports car. Seen from an aircraft landing at the nearby airport, the building looks like a giant red form resting on the sand. And on top of that roof sits a huge Ferrari logo, the famous prancing horse. It is often described as the largest Ferrari emblem ever made.

Here is something many visitors never think about. Why put an entire theme park under a roof? The answer is the climate. Summer temperatures in Abu Dhabi often climb well above forty degrees Celsius, with heavy humidity near the coast. An open-air park would be empty for months. So the builders enclosed almost everything. The roof works like a giant shade. It lets families ride, eat and explore in comfort, even in the middle of an August afternoon.

Now, listen again for that engine sound. Much of the park is built around one idea — speed. And the star of that idea is Formula Rossa. This roller coaster is famous for its launch. In just a few seconds, the train reaches around 240 kilometres per hour. For years it held the title of the fastest roller coaster in the world. Even today, it remains one of the fastest anywhere. The ride starts inside, then shoots out along a track that runs across the outdoor grounds.

That speed creates a strange problem. At such a velocity, a small insect or a grain of sand can sting your face. So riders on Formula Rossa wear protective goggles, much like the eyewear of early racing drivers. It is a small detail, but it tells you a lot. The people who built this ride were not chasing a gentle thrill. They wanted a real sense of what it feels like to sit inside a racing car at full power.

Not every attraction here is about raw speed. Spread across the park are rides, simulators and exhibits for every age. There are gentler driving experiences for younger children, where they can steer small cars and learn the basics of the road. There are spinning rides, a tower that lifts riders up through the centre of the building, and other coasters that twist rather than simply race. The park changes over time, so the exact line-up may differ from one visit to the next.

If you prefer machines to motion, look for the gallery of cars. Here, Ferrari models from different decades stand on display. You can follow the brand from its early racing roots to its modern road cars. Pay attention to the changes in shape. Earlier cars are rounder and softer at the edges. Later models are lower, sharper and wider. Standing close, you can study the stitching on the seats, the shape of the wheels, and the way light moves across polished red paint.

It helps to know a little about the name itself. Ferrari began in Italy in the first half of the twentieth century. It was founded by Enzo Ferrari, a racing driver who became a car builder. The company grew famous first in motorsport, especially in Formula One, the top level of single-seat racing. The prancing horse badge, usually on a yellow shield, became one of the most recognised symbols in the car world. This park borrows that Italian story and moves it to the Arabian Gulf.

You will notice Italian touches throughout the building. Some areas take their mood from small Italian towns, with café-style seating and food that leans towards pizza, pasta and gelato. The colours of the Italian flag, green, white and red, appear in the design. It is a careful piece of theatre. The aim is to make you feel that you are somewhere between a racing garage in northern Italy and a holiday street in the Mediterranean, all while you stand beside the desert.

Step outside for a moment, if you can, and look around the island. Close by is Yas Marina Circuit, the racetrack that hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a round of the Formula One world championship. On race weekends, the whole island fills with fans and the sound of real engines. Nearby, too, you will find other large theme parks, including a water park. Together they form a dense cluster of entertainment, connected by roads, walkways and shuttle services.

This place says something about the wider ambitions of Abu Dhabi. Over recent decades, the emirate has invested heavily in tourism, culture and sport. Museums, beaches, concert venues and racing events now sit alongside its older economy, which grew from oil. Ferrari World was part of an early wave of that change. It showed that a global brand could build something unusual here, and that visitors from around the world would travel to see it.

Before you leave, pause in one quiet spot inside the park. Look up at the ceiling and notice how the curves of the roof meet the walls. Listen for the rise of an engine, the clatter of a coaster, the murmur of voices in many languages. Then, as you walk back out into the heat, turn once more towards the building. Watch the red roof against the pale sky. It is a car, a shelter and a stage — all at once.