F1 US Grand Prix COTA Guide (Austin, Texas)
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2023
- Everything you need to know before you attend USGP!
00:00 Highlights
00:23 Shuttle to COTA
01:35 Vibe
02:45 Turns
04:32 Tram Transport
05:09 COTA Tower
05:57 Driver Engagement
6:35 Race Day
7:41 Track Invasion
8:47 Shuttle back to Downtown on Race Day
9:34 Extra Tips
Q & A
- How long was the shuttle ride to and from downtown (including time for standing in line)?
- To the track: Friday (~ 90mins), Saturday (~45mins), and Sunday (~45mins)
- Back to downtown: Friday (~45mins), Saturday (~45mins), and Sunday (~ 2 hours!)
Ah this takes me back! So excited for this year! Thanks so much for sharing!
Can’t wait to go! Thanks for the tips!!!!
Thank you for sharing this incredible video
This is so helpful thank you so much for making this video!!! I’m hoping to attend this years race lmao it’s my first one😭
Thaks a lot!!
thanks for the video - really appreciate the lack of voiceover or selfe time
Great video, at 8:15 it looks like you were very close to the front of the gate before track invasion. But even still, there were people already on the track. It looks like they came from the left side of the main grand stand? Do you know what the other spots for track invasion were last year?
We knew that there were two spots for track invasion, Turn 1 and Turn 19, but googling does show that there may be two more grandstand east and west. I'm not sure which ones were open for 2022 and which gates open up first or if they all open together.
When I first got there, there wasn't that many people, but filled up pretty fast. I didn't know that I had to hang onto the fence to see the podium, so that's one thing that I would do differently in the future. Also people were very aggressive trying to get onto the fence, we witnessed a fight between two groups, so I would just be careful if you plan to do the track invasion.
Awesome video ! I will be going first time this year . Any issue with the shuttle delay getting to track or do you recommend Uber to COTA ? Thanks
We didn’t see any delay in waiting for the shuttle to pick up at the downtown or at the track. The only delay would be the traffic, which is not avoidable, but the shuttles do get their own lane to the track, so you’ll definitely arrive faster than any rideshare.
One thing about ride share to COTA is that there is a designated location for drop off and pick up, which is quite far from the track. I believe if you get off there, you have to take the shuttle from there to the track. I also remember hearing that cell service there was horrible and made it almost impossible to call an uber and surge in price was also outrages.
I would recommend the shuttle to avoid all the headache. If you don’t have shuttle tickets, I would take uber SUPER early in the morning. I believe some uber drivers did drop folks off at the track early in the morning, but was no longer allowed or possible once gate opened.
Thanks! Do you know how big of a water bottle is allowed through security? How early did you have to come for the shuttle bus?
On Friday, we arrived around 11 AM. When we got there, the line to get the wristband to onboard the shuttle was pretty long already. We started waiting from the middle of the park and took an hour to get on the bus after receiving the wristband. On Saturday and Sunday, we arrived around 9 AM at the park, a few people were there, but since there were a lot of buses waiting, there was no wait time. Everyone pretty much boarded the bus right away.
If you want to avoid the traffic and wait in line, earlier the better. I can't really comment on when is the best to arrive as I don't know what the experience is arriving at later time.
As for the water bottle, as long as it's not visible, I think you're fine! They make you walk through security check with the backpack and if the alarm rings, then they'll check inside the bag to determine the cause.
@@bigeventguide sounds good, thanks again!
How late do the shuttle buses run? Any issue catching them back to downtown after the concerts end?
We didn't have any problems catching the shuttle after the concert ended. There was no line either when we got to the pick up location and there were a lot of shuttle waiting to pick up passengers. I think it runs till about an hour after the concert ends to allow everyone to get on the shuttle after the concert
is there a particular name or link for the COTA app? When I look it up only NASCAR pops up and i’m not seeing anything for F1. i’m going to my first f1 race at cota in october and don’t want to miss out on any events
F1 app contains both schedule and map for each gp, so you can try that
For driver engagement 6:00 when they speak on that stage, do they only do that on race day or do they do all 3 days?
Driver engagement happened both Friday and Saturday. Half the driver on Friday, then the other half on Saturday. No engagement on Sunday.
I got to do the COTA tower for free because Google was doing an event. If you had Chrome installed on your phone it was free entry for like 2hrs
Thanks for the great info! Didn't realize you could get in for free
Was it necessary to register? Where could I register?
I’m seeing that you can bring any kind of backpack and it’s just not the clear plastic ones? Is that correct? First time going to F1
That's correct, mine wasn't clear and got through security without any problem
Any tips for grandstand seating? Also this year different cuz of sprint
We sat around grandstand 16, top row not bottom, where we could see turn 12-16 from our seat. If you sit in front, closer to the track, you'll see less of other turns, but more of the cars. For us, we liked the top row to get a fuller view as much as we can.
Also, for grandstand 16, since there are many turns, you don't get to see the full speed of the cars, not many overtakes either, but get to see the cars more in a short time that they pass the turn due to slower speed.
Since we only sat at grandstand 16, I can only speak to that. But, I would think that these factor would matter at other seats you choose.
I didn't know that sprint was happening this year, that's exciting. I don't think anything changes because of sprint other than you might see more people on Friday and Saturday
can you leave your chairs unattended once you have set up your spot?
It's possible, but there are cases where people do move empty chairs especially during the race day. Instead of just leaving, I would recommend making small chats with people around you and ask them to look after your spot and you can return the favor when you're back.
I have a question can I buy a general admission ticket and then go to the cota tower for 35$ ? Everyone has access to that tower ???
Yeah, but I'm not sure on race day if it's limited access or first come. Also, you can't stay up there all day, they have people up there who ask folks to leave if they have been there for a while. There wasn't any strict rule to leaving tho, and even if you have to leave, you can see the track from the stairs as you climb down
Where do you buy the shuttle passes
A few months before the race, the tickets go on sale from the COTA website circuitoftheamericas.com/event/f1/
At what time do the shuttles depart to COTA on Sunday?
The first shuttle departs an hour before the gate opens and continuously runs throughout the day.
where do you buy concert tickets? i want to watch the killers so bad
I don't think you can just purchase a concert ticket without purchasing a F1 ticket.
If you already have a F1 ticket, you already have access to the concert, GA section.
If you're looking for better viewing, concert upgrades are add ons that you can purchase from the COTA website circuitoftheamericas.com/event/f1/tickets/
@@bigeventguide thanks this is what i was looking for.
Is there any way we can ask specific questions to you??? For a first timer from out of state... Would prefer to avoid comments if possible. Thanks.
Other attendees may have the same questions, so it might be good to share here. However, if you like to send a DM instead, I can be reached via reddit reddit.com/u/East_Ad_2097/s/HLeU96TTfM
@@bigeventguide Thank you
@@bigeventguide Thanks. Any other way to ask you questions for those of us that are not Reddit users??? Primarily interested in shuttle questions and day of the race questions. Thank.
@@sarahjane9512 Reddit has great F1 communities where people share their experiences, tips, upcoming events, ask questions, etc. Consider joining in the future if you're planning on attending a race, it's super helpful especially for usgp.
I can try to answer your question about the shuttle and race day, you can reach out to bigeventguide at gmail
@@bigeventguide Thank you
How early should we arrive my friend? i bought grandstand tickets only for the race
On race day, it's better to be there early than later as traffic gets worse closer to the race time.
I personally like to be there before 10 on race day to avoid traffic and be there to enjoy pre race events
@@bigeventguide thank you for the quick reply!
What are the separate tickets for the concerts?
Check out circuitoftheamericas.com/event/f1/tickets/, there is a section for add-ons which contains concert upgrades
Who was in onderland?
Not sure, we just mostly passed by and weren't really paying attention to who was playing. But I think the lineup and times are available before the event if you want to check it out