How to watch Austin's U.S. Grand Prix
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Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leading at Circuit of the Americas last year. Photo: Jared C. Tilton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Throngs of Formula 1 fans will head to Circuit of the Americas this weekend for the U.S. Grand Prix.
Why it matters: F1 — an international racing championship — brings glamour to Austin, as it sits alongside locales like Monaco and Mexico City in a 24-city calendar year circuit.
- The Austin airport sees some of its busiest travel days around F1 weekend, and local economists estimate the economic impact to be in the hundreds of millions.
State of play: After cruising to victories early in the season, Red Bull's Max Verstappen has seen his lead cut to 52 points by McLaren's Lando Norris.
- The race winner will get 25 points, the second-place finisher 18 points and the third-place driver gets 15. (Other, lesser sums are awarded to drivers who finish through 10th place.)
- There will be five more races this year after the U.S. Grand Prix for Norris to make up the gap — in Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Zoom in: Practice sessions kick off Friday, and the weekend concludes Sunday with the Pirelli United States Grand Prix.
- Three-day grounds passes, which include access to musical performances, are still available for $389 apiece before fees. Sunday Grand Prix tickets start at $249.
- You can also watch the action live on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
The latest: After complaints from drivers about bumps on the track after last year's race, COTA repaved it for the first time since it was built in 2012.
- "I think people will be happy. F1 drivers can now focus on the performance of their cars," COTA Chairman Bobby Epstein told the Austin American-Statesman.
What we're watching: Final attendance figures.
- Austin set a new F1 record in 2022 with a three-day attendance of around 440,000.
- But that dropped slightly — to 432,000 — in 2023, the year of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.