Circuit of the Americas is located in Austin, Texas and is home to the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix (Miami Grand Prix debuted in May 2022 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix will debut in November 2023). We attended the Austin Grand Prix in October 2022 and I couldn’t find anything online, outside of the Circuit of the Americas website, so I hope this blog leaves you feeling a bit more prepared for your visit that I was going into mine.
Parking: If you are planning on driving to and from the track daily, you will want to buy a parking pass as early as possible to guarantee your parking space. There are shuttles available, but they do cost and if you are traveling with a group and you have a car, it could be just as cost effective buying the parking pass vs. taking the shuttle. With that said, if nobody in the group plans on being sober, please use the shuttles.
Shoes & Walking: The track is huge! You will be walking… A LOT. The walk to/from parking is long depending on which lot you are assigned to. The walking to/from the shuttle area is long. The walking around the track is long and in several areas there are stairs and hills. There will also be 440,000 fans over the weekend, so depending on where you are sitting you could very well be in a slow moving crowd of people. Think a heard of cattle for a visual.
Wear comfortable shoes and do not wear white shoes that cannot be cleaned easily. There are cement areas, particularly as you’re walking into the facility, but as soon as you step away from the entrance area the ground is often dirt and very uneven. Don’t concern yourself with cute shoes this weekend.
Restrooms: There are some areas at this track where they have restrooms with actual toilets and sinks, but ladies, mentally prepare yourself now for your accessible restrooms being port-a-potty city with foot pump sinks (if they work). Definitely pack yourself hand sanitizer.
Food and Drinks: There is no shortage of food or drink options, but do not expect anything fancy and do expect to pay $20 for a Nathan’s Hot Dog that has been under a headlamp for too long. Everything is expensive (like unnecessarily so because they know people will pay it) and often met with a long line. I recommend you bring snacks and an empty plastic water bottle to use at the water fill stations (stations hooked up to a hose).
General Admission Areas: I cannot speak on this too well as we paid for actual seats at Turn 4, but from what I saw from walking around the general admission spaces aren’t terrible if you plan accordingly. Folding chairs are allowed into the track, and if you get there early you can essentially claim a good spot for the day. I did notice that the general admission space does get increasingly more packed during qualifying and the actual race.
Sun Protection: There is almost no shade at this track no matter where you are sitting and the sun is blaring on you a lot. I highly recommend you pack a good hat to protect as much of your face, ears, and neck from the sun as possible and wear a good sunblock and re-apply frequently. Also, pack and use lip balm with SPF protection as well.
After the Race: On race day, bring a gold, silver, or black Sharpie. Once the race is completed, all fans are allowed to walk on the trace down into the paddock and across the finish line. The Sharpies are needed because it is common for fans to write a note on the squares of the finish line.
Additionally, pack your patience. Every fan who bought tickets for the weekend event did so because of the race. This means, there are more bodies there on Sunday than there will be on Friday or Saturday. This also means there are more bodies leaving the track, all at the same time, than the two days prior. Be prepared to wait in a long shuttle line or in the parking lot.
I hope this blog has helped you prepare for the weekend in both the literal and mental sense. Have an amazing time and Go [ insert your team here ]!
Wanderland Jess 