The twenty-one corners twists through the man made island off the Abu Dhabi coast . The track passes by the marina and through the Yas Marina Hotel , and winds its way through sand dunes , with several long straights and tight corners . Designed as an Arabian version of Monaco , the twenty-one corners twists through the man made island off the Abu Dhabi coast , passing by the marina and through the Yas Marina Hotel designed and conceived of by New York based architects Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture , Asymptote Architecture , and winding its way through sand dunes , with several long straights and tight corners .