Circuit of the Americas: Austin's Purpose-Built Formula One Track and Its Stormy Start

The Circuit of the Americas is a 5.514 km (3.426 mi) track in Austin, Texas, built to host the Formula One United States Grand Prix. It was the first circuit in the United States purpose-built for Formula One, and it has grown into a venue for several series. Its story combines engineering ambition, a fight over public money and a contract dispute that nearly removed the race from the calendar.

Who conceived the Circuit of the Americas and who designed it?

The circuit and its Grand Prix were first proposed in mid-2010 by the promoter Tavo Hellmund, with the 1993 motorcycle world champion Kevin Schwantz helping to shape the layout. The track was designed by HKS, Inc. and Tilke Engineers and Architects, working on a homologation design that was submitted to the FIA in Geneva on 17 December 2010.

The July 2010 plans took in roughly 890 acres (3.6 km2) of empty land in the south-east of Travis County. A residential subdivision called Wandering Creek had been planned for part of that site, and the largest investor in the project was the Texas businessman Red McCombs.

A purpose-built Formula One circuit that survived a funding fight and a contract row to host racing across several series.

How was the track built and when did it open?

Construction began on 31 December 2010 with a target of June 2012, and a stop-work order in December 2011 moved the finish date to August. Austin Commercial acted as general contractor. Grading could only begin once a $900,000 deposit was lodged with Travis County, to fund land restoration should the federal flood agency refuse approval.

The federal flood agency, FEMA, wrote on 28 June 2011 to confirm that the project met its floodplain criteria. GPS-guided 3D paving equipment laid the asphalt to FIA standards, with the first layer finished on 3 August 2012 and the final layer completed on 21 September. Charlie Whiting, the FIA race director, approved progress on 13 June 2012 and set a final inspection for 25 September.

The track was officially opened on 21 October 2012. Mario Andretti opened proceedings with ceremonial circuits in a Lotus 79, the machine from his 1978 title season, making him the most recent American world champion.

Where did the name Circuit of the Americas come from?

McCombs first hoped to call the site Speed City, and the owners originally expected to sell naming rights to parts of the facility for $7 million. The Circuit of the Americas name was announced on 12 April 2011 instead. McCombs said the name reflected Austin's position at the centre of the hemisphere, with links from north to south and from east to west.

The first corner, nicknamed Big Red, sits on the highest point of the lap, and in December 2020 the corner was formally named after McCombs. The corner honours the investor whose name is tied to the project.

How did public funding and a lawsuit affect the project?

Austin's city council was asked to sponsor the event so the circuit could seek money from the Texas Major Events Trust Fund, which was designed to help pay the Formula One sanctioning fee. Opponents sued the state comptroller, Susan Combs, arguing that she had promised the money without legal authority. In June 2011 the council allowed the application but withheld its full endorsement.

As part of the endorsement, the sport was to pay $15,000 in carbon offsets and fund a $5 million on-site research project into environmentally friendly technologies. In July 2011 a state district judge declined to block the payments, but Combs decided against the 31 July advance payment for the first year's sanctioning fee. Ultimately the case was abandoned once the race had slipped back by a year.

What caused the contract dispute in 2011?

Construction halted during 2011 following a clash involving the owners, Full Throttle Productions, and Formula One Management. Hellmund conceded that his firm had been in default on its agreement with Formula One Management from May 2011. Susan Combs saw the proposed Grand Prix of America as a risk to the Texas race, and she linked the first $25 million state payment to the circuit's inaugural race.

Bernie Ecclestone issued an ultimatum to the owners and organisers: resolve the matter before the FIA World Motor Sport Council met on 7 December 2011, or risk removal from the 2012 calendar. The World Motor Sport Council then released the 2012 calendar, with the race still dated for 18 November. The investors had reached a new arrangement with Ecclestone, and they paid the 2012 sanctioning fee a year early as a show of good faith.

The legal fight continued into 2012. On 4 March that year Hellmund launched proceedings against the investors Bobby Epstein and Red McCombs, claiming he remained part of the management company and was owed money since September. The dispute was settled out of court in June 2012.

How large were the Formula One crowds at COTA?

The first United States Grand Prix at the circuit drew a crowd of 117,429 in November 2012, after four years without a Formula One race in the country. In October 2022 the three-day weekend attracted roughly 440,000 people, breaking the 400,000 record set at the 2021 race in North America.

The Sunday race in 2022 drew more than 150,000 spectators. The surge reflected growing interest in the United States, partly fuelled by the Formula 1: Drive to Survive series, and by honouring tickets bought for the 2020 race, which the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled.

What is the COTA track layout like?

The lap covers 5.514 km (3.426 mi) with twenty turns and a total height difference of 133 ft (41 m). It runs counter-clockwise, which gives the circuit more left-hand corners than right-hand ones and places heavier demands on drivers' necks, which are more used to the lateral forces of clockwise tracks.

The design borrows from European circuits. It recreates the Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel sequence from Silverstone, the arena bends from Hockenheim and a copy of the Turn Eight at Istanbul Park. Individual corners also take inspiration from the Senna S at Interlagos, Turn 4 at Buddh and Turns 9 and 10 at Bahrain. The corners were widened on purpose, so drivers can use several racing lines.

The lap begins with a climb of more than 11% to Big Red, where the apex sits on the crest of the hill. The next corner is a downhill right-hander inspired by the Senna S, followed by a climb back up the side of the hill. Turns 7 to 9 tighten the sequence and force a downshift into fourth gear before the blind Turn 10 and the Turn 11 hairpin.

What are the key figures for the Circuit of the Americas?

How did drivers rate the first Grand Prix at the circuit?

Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton praised the circuit, although both warned that it would be harder to learn than recent additions to the calendar. Jenson Button called the opening sector spectacular, though he judged starting second preferable, because pole sat on the steeper slope. Mark Webber called the track pretty good and singled out its quick first sector.

Kamui Kobayashi was less impressed. He said the climb to the first corner was no different from Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps, and he accused the media of hyping the track without precedent.

What motorcycle racing has taken place at COTA?

Motorcycle racing was part of the plan from the start. In April 2011 Hellmund and Schwantz announced a Texas Grand Prix for the 2013 MotoGP season, with Schwantz promoting the event through his company, 3fourTexas. A dispute followed when Schwantz sued Steve Sexton, claiming Sexton had negotiated directly with Dorna Sports, although a contract between Dorna and Schwantz already existed.

Dorna later said that its contract with Schwantz had ended in July 2012, because he had not secured the necessary rights from the circuit. In October 2012 Dorna confirmed terms with the organisers, and the race was placed on the 2013 schedule under the name Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas. Schwantz and the venue resolved their differences before the 2014 event, and he became the official ambassador for motorcycle racing at COTA.

Which NASCAR races have been held at COTA?

NASCAR's first Cup Series race at the circuit was held on 23 May 2021, sponsored by EchoPark Automotive as the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series joined the weekend, and rain shaped the opening event. The Cup race, won by Chase Elliott, was shortened when the weather worsened and drivers' visibility dropped.

NASCAR returned for 2022 and then renewed for one more year. From 2025 the Cup and O'Reilly races have used the 3.862 km (2.400 mi) layout, and as of 2025 the circuit is the third-longest road course in the Cup Series.

Did IndyCar race at COTA?

Yes, though the relationship was brief. IndyCar reached a multi-year agreement with the circuit in September 2018, replacing Phoenix Raceway on the calendar. COTA made its IndyCar debut on 24 March 2019 as the second race of the season, under the AutoNation IndyCar Challenge name, and for the first time since 2014, two Texas tracks shared the IndyCar schedule.

The 2020 race was cancelled because of COVID-19. In October 2020 IndyCar released a 2021 calendar without COTA, which surprised many people, because the multi-year deal had been announced only two years earlier. The February 2020 test had already been hampered by cold weather and showers.

What facilities surround the circuit?

The Grand Plaza covers 20 acres (0.081 km2) and is bordered by the track on three sides. It includes a reflecting pool, lawns and two pedestrian bridges over turns 16 and 3. The observation tower, which is 251 ft (77 m) tall and climbs through 419 stairs, offers a 360-degree view of the circuit and downtown Austin from a platform 230 ft (70 m) above ground.

The Germania Insurance Amphitheater launched in April 2013 with Kenny Chesney performing. Capacity reaches 14,000 people, and 5,240 seats are permanently reserved, and it took its current name in 2020 under a seven-year deal. The Super Stage, a temporary stage between turns 11 and 12, handles concerts beyond that capacity, while the Main Grandstand seats about 9,000 spectators.

Other additions include a karting track of 0.63 mi (1.01 km) with 15 turns, the Bold Stadium built for Austin Bold FC, and the COTALAND theme park, which is scheduled to open on 26 September 2026. The planned hotel would add 1,000 rooms and a 170,000 ft conference centre, with a project cost of $985 million, and the Austin City Council approved a 30-year occupancy tax refund for it on 23 April 2026.

What are the lap and speed records at COTA?

Valtteri Bottas holds the unofficial benchmark, a 1:32.029 qualifying lap in a Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ at the 2019 race. The first officially timed production-car lap, 2:10.7, came in 2024 from a Czinger 21C. Earlier production-car marks were held by Hennessey's Venom F5 Revolution and by McLaren's P1.

The circuit's highest recorded speed is 355 km/h (221.5 mph), set by Maverick Vinales in 2023 on an Aprilia MotoGP bike.