Yeehaw, Austin race week is here!
The race, held at the Circuit of the Americas, is one of the most-loved weekends on the schedule, with the spirit of Texas across every element of the weekend off-track. "Keep Austin Weird" is the unofficial slogan of the city, and that energy is matched at the track, too.
Introduced for this race, the Circuit of the Americas achieved a Guinness World Record after they unveiled the world's largest cowboy hat! Reaching a whopping 75ft, the fun sculpture has a bar situated underneath for fans to enjoy some shade and a refreshment.
The love for all-things cowboy hats is a common theme in Austin, with the team rocking Stetsons when posing for our special race suits before last year’s race. The Pirelli caps were even given a Texan makeover for the inaugural United States Grand Prix in 2012, and last year fans were encouraged to make and wear their own cowboy hats on qualifying day which was appropriately named ‘Haturday’. Genius.
As well as Austin, F1 races in Miami and Las Vegas – but despite the surge of interest from the United States in recent years, there has always been a home for the World Championship stateside. In fact, the United States has hosted the most races on different circuits as a nation, with 12 F1 venues to their name.
Things started with the famous Indianapolis, which was a pillar of the original 1950 calendar, with the Sebring International Raceway also making an appearance in 1959. The Riverside International Raceway in California hosted one World Championship event in 1960, with Watkins Glen being introduced to the schedule the following season and was used until 1980.
Long Beach was used for eight races from 1976, with street circuits created in Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix in the 1980s. Then of course, there was the race hosted in Caesars Palace parking lot for two events in 1981 and ‘82, before the championship returned to Sin City in 2023.
The love for Formula 1 in the United States has always been there!
Across the 13 Grands Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Mercedes have won a joint-top five wins as a constructor but taken six wins as an engine supplier – three times more than anyone else. We’ve also been on the podium on 12 occasions in that time, with the most pole positions of any team here with six.
Austin also marks several special milestones for us as a team, having clinched the Constructors’ World Championship on Texan soil in both 2017 and 2019. Lewis’ win here in 2017 was also our 75th in Formula 1, and 150th podium result, and for the 2019 event we took home the teams’ title on the same weekend as Lewis won his sixth drivers’ crown.
Away from the Silver Arrows, Kimi Räikkönen holds a record here for the longest wait between wins in terms of Grand Prix when he took his 21st and final victory in F1 in 2018. The Finn had a 114-race interval between first-place finishes – which is five years and seven months – but the longest wait in terms of time would be Riccardo Patrese who was waiting six years and six months.
The Circuit of the Americas has so many fun and unique viewpoints. One of the most popular is on the outside of Turn 1 which is also known as “Big Red”, which features a 133ft (40m) climb up to the hill before a sharp left-turn.
There’s also the iconic COTA tower which stands at 251ft (77m), with an observation point that is 22 stories high. It’s one of the coolest spots to watch the sport – unless you’re afraid of heights, that is – and was the scene of one of my favourite fan moments, when a ticket-holder came across one of the track-side microphones and made his own F1 sounds. Seriously, look it up after reading this, and it’s guaranteed to give you a giggle.
When watching a lap of COTA, you might be forgiven for finding it rather familiar. That’s because it takes inspiration from some of the best circuits on the calendar, and on purpose. Turns 4, 5 and 6 all made it feel like racing through Silverstone’s Maggots, Becketts, Chapel complex, or like you’re on a lap of Interlagos with a fast and flowy nature.
Later in a lap, you’re met with Turns 12 to 15 which are just like the stadium section which you would get at former venue Hockenheim, and Turns 16 to 18 have been shaped to mirror Istanbul Park's famous Turn 8.
OK, this technically makes six things, but it would be remiss not to mention our new fan hub that’s taking over Downtown Austin this week.
We’re bringing fans closer to the action than ever before outside of the circuit. The experience is completely free and fans have the opportunity to be a pitstop mechanic on a real F1 car! There are simulators, giveaways, a 2026 show car and more. Fans will be able to step into the world of Mercedes-AMG F1 and experience aspects of life normally reserved for those inside the paddock and pitlane.
Don’t miss out if you’re in Austin!
