Austin, Texas · US
Home of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. A world-class 3.4-mile circuit with 20 turns and dramatic elevation changes inspired by classic circuits worldwide.
Circuit of the Americas is a permanent racing circuit in Austin, Texas. The lap measures 5.514 km (3.426 miles) across 20 corners, run anti-clockwise. Among its named corners are Turn 1 (Big Red), The Esses and The Bobby Pin.
It opened in 2012 and holds FIA Grade 1 licensing. Series racing here include Formula 1, MotoGP, WEC, IndyCar and Road Course. Capacity is around 120,000 spectators.
The project was announced in July 2010: around 900 acres of undeveloped land outside Austin, backed by the businessman Red McCombs, to build the first circuit in the United States purpose-designed for Formula 1. The layout came from promoter Tavo Hellmund and Kevin Schwantz, the 1993 500cc world champion, working with Hermann Tilke.
What they drew borrows openly from elsewhere — the Esses echo Silverstone's Maggotts-Becketts sequence, and other corners nod to Hockenheim and Istanbul — but the site gave it something of its own: 133 feet of elevation change, including a first corner that climbs steeply to a blind crest. The track opened on 21 October 2012 and held the United States Grand Prix on 18 November, and has since added MotoGP and IMSA.
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