My First F1 race at COTA.

2023 US Grand Prix (Circuit of The Americas)

Last weekend, I attended my first Formula 1 race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. It was the 52nd United States Grand Prix, and it was a memorable experience for me because my father had attended the 1967 British Grand Prix, which sparked our family's interest in F1 55 years ago.

After watching Formula 1 on TV for 30 years, seeing it in person was everything I had hoped for: The cars looked and sounded amazing, The speed was truly impressive, and the energy of the large crowd was electric.

One thing that surprised me was the sheer size of the venue. Hosting nearly 450,000 spectators, along with hundreds of racing cars in the paddock, vendors, and more, was a monumental task. It felt like hosting two Super Bowl events at once.

This got me thinking about how COTA was built and how Formula 1 came to Austin. I learned about Tavo Hellmund, an influential figure in American Formula 1 who doesn't get enough credit. Tavo, an Austin resident and University of Texas graduate, was a former racer and race event promoter. He was the driving force behind building COTA and bringing Formula 1 to Austin.

With the support of Red McCombs, the former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, and Hermann Tilke, a German architect and circuit designer responsible for several tracks on the current F1 calendar, work began on the Circuit of the Americas in 2010. The first race occurred in 2012 and has been a favorite among fans and drivers ever since.

COTA is a truly remarkable place, meticulously planned and massive in scale. Coordinating race day operations is like managing a pop-up shop that handles the daily crowd size of a large airport. If you are a Formula 1 fan, attending a race at COTA should be on your list; it is highly recommended.