Going to Formula 1 weekend October 21-23 at Circuit of The Americas? If so, you're in for a heck of a good time with Green Day, Ed Sheeran, and even famed fictional NASCAR superstar Ricky Bobby all set to appear.
But stars won't be the only thing competing for your attention. To help Circuit of The Americas celebrate its 10th year of Formula 1 at the track, fans can indulge in free birthday cake and take a dip in the Museum of Ice Cream’s 50-foot sprinkle pool.
There's also plenty of off-track entertainment, ranging from live ice sculpting to axe throwing to lucha libre wrestling. Pick out a temporary (or permanent!) tattoo before posing for pics with such famous cars as the Batmobile, Bumblebee, a DeLorean, and Ghostbusters' Ecto-1.
If that all sounds great, remember that hundreds of thousands of other folks think so too. Be smart and plan your race weekend transportation now.
Unless you already have a parking pass, shuttles are the quickest and easiest way to get to and from COTA.
Shuttle buses will conveniently pick up guests from various spots throughout Austin and drop them off at dedicated areas at COTA reserved exclusively for buses.
Tickets for the three different shuttle options start at $35 and are on sale now, though space is limited. Pick up locations include:
- Downtown (Trinity St./Waterloo Park)
- Travis County Expo Center
- Barton Creek Square Mall
Downtown
Round-trip price: $130 for a three-day weekend pass or $45 a day with advance purchase
Same-day: $55 per person, per day
Get the party started and roll right up to the Grand Plaza in style. Primarily comprised of luxury motor coaches, this shuttle route is the closest available drop-off point to the Circuit entrance. The Waterloo Park shuttle hub is the only shuttle with direct drop-off and pick-up at the Grand Plaza Gates. Park your car for $20 a day at the garages between Trinity and San Jacinto.
Travis County Expo Center
Round-trip price: $100 for a three-day weekend pass or $35 a day with advance purchase
Same-day: $45 per person, per day
Located near the intersections of Hwy. 290/US 183 and the 130 Tollway, the Travis County Expo Center shuttle hub is a free parking lot with service in primarily air-conditioned school buses. Please enter and exit this facility at Gate 1, located off Decker Lane.
Barton Creek Square Mall (Saturday and Sunday only)
Round trip price: $45 per day with advance purchase
Same-day: $55 per person, per day
Located near the intersection of Loop 1 and Hwy. 360 (Capital of Texas Highway), the Barton Creek Square Mall shuttle hub is a free parking lot with a mix of air-conditioned school buses and motor coaches. Shuttle pick-up and drop-off is located near JCPenny. This hub is not available on Friday of race weekend.
Rideshare
If Uber or Lyft is your plan, be prepared. Rideshare patrons will be dropped off and picked up at Del Valle High School, where they will then take a shuttle to the McAngus Lot. The walk to the rideshare lot is approximately 15-20 minutes and wait times can be very long. Surge pricing tends to be exceptionally high.
Photo courtesy of COTA
Purchase your shuttle tickets in advance.
For more information on shuttles and to book your tickets, click here.
To ensure the safety of its guests, COTA suggests buying shuttle passes directly from its site instead of purchasing a parking pass for an unauthorized parking lot near the race track.
After winning Saturday’s sprint race, Max Verstappen qualified for pole position and would go on to win the 2025 USGP on Sunday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso headed toward turn 11 on Sunday. The Spanish legend qualified for P10, finishing in the same position and earning a single point.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The Austin, Texas mural wall along the Main Grandstand was a favorite spot for photos.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The grand plaza lake and "Welcome to Texas" sign are easily the biggest targets for a selfie.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Ferrari driver Charles LeClerc makes his way to the garage before Saturday morning’s Sprint Race. The Frenchman currently sits at 5th place in the driver standings.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Despite losing his seat with Red Bull this season, Mexican hero Checo Perez was still represented around the track. Good news for Checo fans, though: he returns to the track next season with his new team, Cadillac.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Race day brings out the stars in the paddock and it wouldn’t be an Austin event without the omnipresent Matthew McConaughey, who visited several of the team suites on Sunday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Unlike Saturday’s sprint, which saw several crashes, turn one went without incident as Max Verstappen maintained his lead and Lando Norris gave up P2 to the charging Ferrari of Charles LeClerc.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Is it even a US F1 race if the Ferrari Pope isn’t there? The famous Ferrari fan was brought onstage at the Champions Club on Friday by Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The Circuit of the Americas' newest roller coaster, Circuit Breaker, was in demo mode this weekend. Riders got to preview the attraction months before COTALand opens sometime in 2026.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
British legend Lewis Hamilton made his first appearance at COTA in the unfamiliar red of Ferrari, after switching over from Mercedes after 12 years and seven world championships.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
With the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders away this year, the Houston Texans, who were on a bye week, sent theirs two hours west to help celebrate the pre-race festivities on Sunday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Mercedes driver George Russell waves to the fans in the Main Grandstand before embarking on the one-lap drivers’ parade.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Ukrainian model and Stake Sauber guest Mariia Lavrukhina was seen in the paddock on Sunday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Attendees who were looking for something to do to kill time between racing events on Saturday were treated to exciting Lucha Libra matches.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Lance Stroll's Aston Martin car was damaged after the Canadian driver crashed into Haas driver Esteban Ocon during Saturday’s sprint race.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
First-year Williams Racing driver Carlos Sainz biked back to the team suite with girlfriend Rebecca Donaldson by his side. The Spanish driver lost his seat at Ferrari last year to Lewis Hamilton.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Cowboy boots and \hats were all the rage this year.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Lando Norris entertained some VIPs at the team’s suite shortly before the race on Sunday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The Dutch Royal Air Force provided the pre-race flyover prior set to the national anthem on Sunday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore share a few friendly words before Saturday’s sprint race. Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The Turn 1 Grandstand was full of Ferrari red and McLaren orange.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The calm before the storm looking up the turn one hill. The climb in elevation is 305 feet, the same as the height of the Statue of Liberty from feet to torch.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The pit wall personnel proudly supported their nationality with a glistening Mexican flag.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The entire 2025 USGP grid finishing lap one and beginning lap two.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Network writer Amber Heckler captures a shot of Max Verstappen standing atop his Red Bull car after winning the 2025 USGP.Photo by Amber Heckler
The crowd rushed the podium for the trophy presentation, fighting for the best viewing position.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Verstappen’s Red Bull and his degraded soft tires, which the team put on after his sole pit stop. The Dutch driver started the race on mediums, like most of the drivers on the grid.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Charles LeClerc finished the race in first, second, and third respectively. The traditional podium celebration saw the top three drivers and the winning driver’s engineer spraying Moet on each other. Photo by Daniel Cavazos
That’s a wrap on the 2025 USGP in Austin, Texas. F1 and COTA announced an extension on Friday that will keep the race in town until at least 2036. See you next year!Photo by Daniel Cavazos