F1 Austin 2026: Guide to Formula 1's United States Grand Prix at COTA

The Formula 1 United States Grand Prix runs at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin on 23 to 25 October 2026. It is Round 18 of 23 and has no sprint. The race starts at 15:00 Austin time, 20:00 UTC, on Sunday 25 October. Europe's clocks go back that morning, so lights out is at 20:00 in the UK and 21:00 in Central Europe. Reuters reported that the 2025 crowd was "estimated at more than 400,000". The race comes two weeks after Marina Bay, covered in our Singapore Grand Prix guide.

Formula 1 in Austin: session times, gates and the circuit

Times are Austin time (Central Daylight Time, UTC-5), as on Formula 1's United States Grand Prix page, with UTC in brackets.

• Friday 23 October: Practice 1 at 12:30 (17:30), Practice 2 at 16:00 (21:00)
• Saturday 24 October: Practice 3 at 12:30 (17:30), Qualifying at 16:00 (21:00)
• Sunday 25 October: Grand Prix at 15:00 (20:00)

Gates open at 9:00 on Friday and 8:30 on Saturday and Sunday, and parking lots open an hour earlier. COTA says these times can change.

The race is 56 laps of the 5.513 km, 20-turn circuit. The climb from the grid to Turn 1 is what COTA calls a "133-foot incline", about 40 m.

Grand PrixView Thursday and the concerts

Grand PrixView Thursday, 22 October, adds a fourth day for 20 USD. Holders of a 3-day ticket or 3-day hospitality bought directly from COTA can claim it free. It brings F1 Academy sessions, the fan zone and an F1 pit lane walk from 14:00 to 16:00. COTALAND, the circuit's new theme park, costs extra. Thursday's gate time is not published yet, so watch COTA's schedule page.

Maroon 5 plays on Friday and Post Malone on Saturday, both on the Germania Insurance Super Stage. Alesso follows the race on Sunday at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater. COTA says every race ticket includes the concerts on the days it covers. Headline set times have not been published, and the schedule can change.

Tickets: official sellers and what is left

Buy from COTA's official F1 ticket page or the Formula 1 store at tickets.formula1.com. COTA's terms warn that tickets from other sources "may not be honored". The site austin.gp is run by TicketsGP s.r.o. of Brno, and its own footer says it "is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula 1 companies". It also lists stands COTA does not sell, such as Turn 13 and Turn 19B.

At the time of writing, the 3-day general admission pass (450 USD including fees), the Flex Pass, the Main Grandstand and Turn 19 were sold out. These grandstands were still on sale at COTA:

Grandstand	What it sees	From (USD)
Turn 1	The start, and braking up the climb	1,206.50
Turn 4	The fast left-right S bends	712.50
Turn 9 bleachers	Turns 6 to 8 and the Turn 11 hairpin	595
Turn 12 bleachers	The hardest braking zone, into Turn 12	661.50
Turn 15	The stadium section	985

Of these, COTA mentions cover only for Turn 4's upper tier, under an awning. COTA prints a "+" after these prices and does not say what it stands for. Only the 3-day pass price says it includes fees, so check the total at checkout. Single-day tickets start at 109.13 USD for Friday, 271.60 USD for Saturday and 249 USD for Sunday. Sunday has shown as sold out and come back on sale before, so check the live page.

All sales are final. The only refund, of up to face value, comes if the event is cancelled and not rescheduled. Tickets are "strictly non-transferable", and resold tickets are void. Most are mobile tickets in the COTA app or the Ticketmaster app, and COTA recommends opening them before you arrive.

At the gate: bags, water and re-entry

COTA's venue policies allow bags no larger than 12x12x20 inches (about 30x30x51 cm). Leave these behind:

• coolers, outside food and drink, and glass
• drones, tents and non-collapsible chairs
• tripods, bipods, monopods and detachable telephoto lenses

Collapsible chairs, small hand-held umbrellas and personal cameras are allowed. So is one empty water bottle of up to 32 oz, just under a litre, as long as it is not glass. There are hydration stations at Turn 1, Turn 3, the Main Grandstand and the Grand Plaza. Re-entry is permitted if you scan out before leaving. COTA accepts American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa.

Entering the United States: ESTA or a visa

The Visa Waiver Program covers 42 countries, including most of the EU, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Qatar. Their citizens need an ESTA from CBP's official ESTA site. The fee is about 40 USD, rising from 40.27 USD to 40.62 USD on 16 October 2026. Apply at least 72 hours before the flight, as CBP asks. An approval normally lasts two years, or until the passport expires, and you need an e-passport. Travel to Cuba since 12 January 2021, or to Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen since 1 March 2011, rules the ESTA out, as does dual nationality with Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria or Sudan.

Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India and China are not in the programme, so their citizens need a B1/B2 visa. Since 2 September 2025, almost every applicant needs an in-person interview, so if you do not already hold a visa, you are unlikely to get one before the race. Iranian nationals fall under the full entry ban in force since 1 January 2026, which has narrow exceptions, including people who already held a valid visa.

Mexican fans flying in need a passport with their visa, because a Border Crossing Card alone is accepted only by land, pleasure vessel or ferry. Canadians enter with a passport or a NEXUS card.

CBP may photograph non-citizens on entry and on exit. Mobile Passport Control is not available at Austin's airport. Check your own case on esta.cbp.dhs.gov, and current visa wait times on travel.state.gov.

Getting to COTA: shuttles, parking and ride-hailing

COTA is about 15 miles (24 km) from downtown and runs no shuttle from the airport. CapMetro Route 20 leaves from outside baggage claim and reaches downtown in about 35 minutes for 1.25 USD, paid by tapping a card or phone.

COTA's official shuttles pick up at Waterloo Park downtown and the Travis County Expo Center, with passes from 49 USD and 34 USD. COTA does not say whether that is per day or per weekend. Buy passes ahead, by card, because any sold at the pick-up points are standby only and not guaranteed. The first bus leaves about an hour before the gates open, and COTA says Sunday trips take longest between 9:30 and 12:15. The last bus to COTA leaves at 18:30 on Friday and Saturday and 14:00 on Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, return buses run until 60 minutes after the music ends.

Every car parking on site needs a COTA-issued pass, from 52 USD at Lot F or the Park N Ride to 134.50 USD at Lot T. A car without one cannot use COTA Blvd during the race weekend. Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing cars use COTA's McAngus Lot.

At the time of writing, COTA's own hotel packages were nearly gone, with one left from 745 USD a night. The University of Texas American football team hosts Ole Miss at its Austin stadium at 18:30 on qualifying Saturday, so book a room now.

The Monday after the 2025 race set Austin airport's all-time record, 45,048 departing passengers, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The airport advises arriving at least three hours before an international flight.

Weather, time and money

National Weather Service normals for the race days are about 80 °F (27 °C) by day and 58 °F (14 °C) at night, and Austin's normal October rainfall is 3.91 inches (99 mm). US clocks change on 1 November, after the race. Sales tax is 8.25%, and hotel tax 17%. In a 2023 Pew Research survey, most Americans said they would tip 15% or less for an average sit-down meal, and a quarter 20% or more. Plugs are types A and B, at 120 V.

Staying connected over the Formula 1 weekend: why a Donesim eSIM fits

At COTA your phone holds the race ticket and the shuttle pass, and it books the ride-hail home. COTA's venue policies say nothing about Wi-Fi for fans. T-Mobile reported "significant network enhancements" at the circuit in November 2025.

AT&T México's postpaid plans include calls, texts and data in the US, under a fair-use policy, so Mexican fans on those plans are already covered. Many other home plans charge for US roaming by the day or by the pack:

• UK: 6 GBP a day on EE
• Australia: 10 AUD a day on Telstra
• Spain: 6.05 EUR a day for 500 MB on Movistar
• Turkey: 500 TRY a day on eligible Turkcell prepaid packages
• Azerbaijan: 25 AZN for 2 GB over 10 days on Azercell, 21.99 AZN for 1.5 GB over 10 days on Bakcell

T-Mobile announced a visitor pass in May 2026 as a limited-time offer, from 25 USD for 7 days to 50 USD for 30, plus taxes. AT&T's visitor eSIM has data passes in its app from 3.99 USD for one day to 40.99 USD for 30 days. AT&T's launch announcement says you buy it once you arrive in the US. It needs a 5G, dual-SIM phone that is not locked to a carrier and already has a foreign number.

A Donesim plan works the other way round. You buy and install it at home, so data is ready for the COTA app, the bus or ride-hail from the airport and your maps when you turn on roaming after landing. The checkout asks for an email address, not a passport, and your own SIM and number stay in the phone. If your home plan receives texts abroad, bank and ticket codes can still reach you, though your home carrier may charge for roaming calls and texts on that line.

At the time of writing, 3 GB for 15 days costs 4.18 USD, less than one day of UK or Australian roaming. For heavier use, 10 GB for 30 days costs 11.63 USD, and you can also see every United States plan. Donesim's United States page lists Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile among its networks.

The plan is data only, with no US number, but WhatsApp keeps your usual number while its messages and calls use the eSIM's data. A plan cannot currently be renewed or extended in place, so choose the size before you buy.

Set up your eSIM before you fly

1. Check our compatibility list for your phone, and make sure it is not locked to a carrier.
2. Buy a day or two before you fly, not weeks ahead, since Donesim notes that a plan "may begin when it is provisioned, installed, activated, or first connected".
3. Install it on home Wi-Fi, as our install walkthrough shows.
4. Before you travel, open your race ticket in the COTA app, save your shuttle stop or parking lot in an offline map, and charge the phone.
5. After landing, turn on data roaming for the eSIM line only, and keep your home line for texted codes.

Formula 1 moves on to Mexico City on 30 October to 1 November, and fans going to both races can add our Mexico eSIM plans.

Frequently asked questions

What time does the 2026 United States Grand Prix start?

At 15:00 (3:00 PM) in Austin on Sunday 25 October. The drivers' parade is at 13:00 and the national anthem at 14:44.

Is the 2026 United States Grand Prix a sprint weekend?

No. Austin has three practice sessions, qualifying and the race. Its support races are F1 Academy, Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Masters Historic, which runs Formula 1 cars from 1966 to 1985.

How do I get from Austin airport to COTA?

Ride-hail cars and taxis pick up under the airport's Consolidated Rental Car Facility, and a ride-hail can drop you at COTA's McAngus Lot. Otherwise take Route 20 downtown and a COTA shuttle from Waterloo Park.

Do I need an ESTA to travel to the US for the race?

Yes, if you travel on a passport from a Visa Waiver Program country such as the UK, Germany or Australia, unless your nationality or travel history rules you out. CBP warns of fraudulent third-party websites, so apply only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov.