5 musical acts you won’t see at this year’s Abu Dhabi F1 weekend

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Although the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix is more than four months away, the rumour mill has already started on what acts could make their way to the capital in November. Could the new U2 tour stop by the capital this time around? What about the fully reformed Fleetwood Mac or rock behemoths The Foo Fighters, complete with frontman Dave Grohl, sporting a broken leg and sitting on a throne? To make the guessing game easier, we present a list of artists who, due to scheduling conflicts, are highly unlikely to perform on Yas Island come November.

Madonna

The pop diva is about to launch her latest concert spectacular, The Rebel Heart tour. Diehard fans of Madge, however, may have to shell out money on a flight to Europe — The Material Girl will be touring the continent in November.

AC/DC

The Australian rock legends are tailor-made for a petrol-loving crowd, but won’t be making their way to Abu Dhabi because they will be in the middle of Down Under tour at the time.

Avicii

With last year's Abu Dhabi F1 concerts headliner Armin Van Buuren showing that EDM music can bring out a large crowd, many hope it will become a permanent feature of the after-race concerts. If that is the case, don't expect Avicii to be behind the decks this year. Speaking to The National last month, the Swedish beatmaker said he plans to perform in the UAE in 2016.

Taylor Swift

There are growing rumours of the pop starlet bringing her 1989 World Tour to the UAE. If so, it would be a Grand Prix-less occasion, with the starlet already tied with other shows that month.

Maroon 5

You can just imagine the large Abu Dhabi crowd dancing along to Sugar after a long — and loud — day of racing action. But frontman Adam Levine has scuttled such fantasies, telling The National recently the band don't have plans of returning to the UAE at the moment.