I bought a couple of 3 Day GA Passes to the USGP when they went on sale last year. I'm a pretty big F1 fan, but this is my first time going, so I was looking for any advice any of you may have to get the most out of the experience.

We already bought a shuttle pass that picks us up from Travis County Expo Center, so we don't need advice on the transportation/parking side of things. We're not planning on staying for the concerts, so hopefully we can avoid some of the mass exodus, although we fully expect it to take a long time to get out of there.

My wife's main questions are:

When we should plan on getting there each day?

Should we just pick a spot and camp there for the entire time, or is it better to walk around and experience the practices/sprint races from different vantage points?

Any advice is appreciated!

Went a few years back. Practice and qualifying are busy, raceday is a madhouse. We had friends get there at like 8am and stake out a tiny spot that we wedged ourselves into when we got there, in GA you can barely find time to walk between people during the first half or so of the race.

Take advantage of walking around the first two days, if you want to pick a spot to watch the race (which honestly is kinda tough to follow live) be prepared to get there really early.

I've only been the first year they opened so its been awhile. I liked moving around on practice days then picking a single spot or two on the main race day. Don't underestimate the size of the place and elevation changes to walk around if you are out of shape, etc.

Bring ear plugs....seriously.

Random F1 comment/vent: why is COTA so freakin' ugly?

You watch races on tv and see Spa, Red Bull Ring, Nurburgring…then get to COTA and it's a bunch of dead grass and dirt. We can't at least plant some trees?

Actually, I'd rather they add lights and have night races - cooler and nobody sees the crap landscaping!

I'd take that in a heartbeat.

But imagine trying to get out of there at night...yikes...

Agreed about COTA.

I wish they'd put water features around the grounds/track, maybe some trees/greenery. COTA is in a beautiful part of the State, the drivers all like the track, but somehow the site is an eyesore.

A night race would make a LOT of sense, especially because the heat is always an issue out there. But I have a feeling it has to do with SkySports and the timing of the broadcast. That's all I can think has prevented them from doing it.

Day race in Austin = prime time TV in Europe?

centexaggie2010 said:

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I bought a couple of 3 Day GA Passes to the USGP when they went on sale last year. I'm a pretty big F1 fan, but this is my first time going, so I was looking for any advice any of you may have to get the most out of the experience.

We already bought a shuttle pass that picks us up from Travis County Expo Center, so we don't need advice on the transportation/parking side of things. We're not planning on staying for the concerts, so hopefully we can avoid some of the mass exodus, although we fully expect it to take a long time to get out of there.

My wife's main questions are:

When we should plan on getting there each day?

Should we just pick a spot and camp there for the entire time, or is it better to walk around and experience the practices/sprint races from different vantage points?

Any advice is appreciated!

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So, say this with caveats. I have been to other races at COTA including hypercars and GT cars last weekend. Probably easiily less crowded than F1. We moved around to see different points of view. Passing turns, front and back straights for full speed. Not sure how accesible that will be for F1 though.

With all that said, my daughter has full access in the Red Bull garage during F1. I am like you... just figuring it out.

Turn 1 is my favorite spot. That's where I sat during the inaugural race back in 2012.

Sounds like you and your daughter's experience may be *slightly* different than mine in GA. Enjoy! I appreciate the advice!

austinag1997 said:

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centexaggie2010 said:

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I bought a couple of 3 Day GA Passes to the USGP when they went on sale last year. I'm a pretty big F1 fan, but this is my first time going, so I was looking for any advice any of you may have to get the most out of the experience.

We already bought a shuttle pass that picks us up from Travis County Expo Center, so we don't need advice on the transportation/parking side of things. We're not planning on staying for the concerts, so hopefully we can avoid some of the mass exodus, although we fully expect it to take a long time to get out of there.

My wife's main questions are:

When we should plan on getting there each day?

Should we just pick a spot and camp there for the entire time, or is it better to walk around and experience the practices/sprint races from different vantage points?

Any advice is appreciated!

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So, say this with caveats. I have been to other races at COTA including hypercars and GT cars last weekend. Probably easiily less crowded than F1. We moved around to see different points of view. Passing turns, front and back straights for full speed. Not sure how accesible that will be for F1 though.

With all that said, my daughter has full access in the Red Bull garage during F1. I am like you... just figuring it out.

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Prepare for a very different experience, there were over 400,000 people there for Grand Prix weekend last year. Garage access should be awesome though.