The United States Grand Prix has raced through decades of change, from Sebring and Watkins Glen to Long Beach and Indy. Boardroom explores how only in Austin did Formula 1 find its true American home.
Every autumn, the rolling hills of East Austin echo with the thunder of Formula 1 engines, as the United States Grand Prix (USGP) brings the world’s premier motorsport spectacle to Texas.
The Austin race is more than just a stop on the global calendar. It has become a symbol of F1’s American reawakening, a bridge between the sport’s rich past and its future in the U.S. In a country where motorsport loyalties have long skewed toward NASCAR and IndyCar, the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) has carved out a distinctive identity, melding top-tier racing with Texas flair, music, and spectacle.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
A Storied History: The USGP Through the Years
The USGP has taken on many forms over the decades, weaving through nearly every corner of the country since its World Championship debut in 1959.
The first official USGP took place at Florida’s Sebring International Raceway in 1959. That race remains legendary: Jack Brabham famously ran out of fuel just 400 yards from the finish line and pushed his car across to secure the world title, becoming Australia’s first world champion in the process. The following year, the race shifted to Riverside International Raceway in California, where Stirling Moss mastered the track from pole position on a sun-drenched circuit framed by the San Bernardino mountains.
In 1961, the USGP found its first true home at Watkins Glen in upstate New York. For 20 straight years, “The Glen” became a beloved fixture for drivers and fans alike, known for its scenic elevation changes and fast, flowing corners. British drivers like Graham Hill and Jim Clark found consistent success there, with both claiming multiple victories. The circuit became synonymous with the golden era of F1, even with its tragic historical moments. French driver François Cevert lost his life there in 1973, a stark reminder of the sport’s peril in that era.
By the late 1970s, Formula 1 shifted its focus west. Long Beach, California, emerged as the new star of the show, hosting the USGP West from 1976 to 1983. The event was designed as “Monaco on America’s West Coast,” offering palm trees, ocean breezes, and tight city turns. It was there that Mario Andretti, America’s most successful F1 driver, earned one of his most iconic victories, passing Jody Scheckter in the final laps of the 1977 race to win in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Elsewhere, Formula 1 sought to expand its footprint with varying success. Two races in the early 1980s took place in the parking lot of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, a spectacle that remains one of the sport’s most unusual experiments. Detroit joined the calendar soon after, turning the streets of the Motor City into a maze of slow, concrete corners. Dallas also had its brief and chaotic moment in 1984, when extreme heat melted parts of the track and left drivers collapsing from exhaustion by the finish. Keke Rosberg emerged victorious that day, wearing a water-cooled skullcap to survive the conditions.
In 1989, Phoenix became the next American host, but its downtown street layout and desert temperatures proved no kinder. Still, it delivered memorable moments — most notably the 1990 duel between Jean Alesi and Ayrton Senna, which signaled the arrival of a new generation of F1 talent. By 1991, however, the Phoenix experiment ended, and F1 once again left U.S. soil.
It would return in 2000 at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this time on a hybrid circuit combining parts of the famous oval with a newly built infield section. The first race at Indy drew an astonishing 250,000 fans, making it one of the best-attended Grands Prix in history. Michael Schumacher won that debut event and went on to claim multiple victories there, but the venue’s legacy was marred by the 2005 Michelin tire fiasco, when only six cars started the race due to safety concerns. By 2007, the partnership between F1 and Indianapolis came to an end, and the USGP disappeared from the calendar once more.
Four years later, F1 would find a new U.S home in Austin, Texas.
Austin’s Era: From Debut to Today
When Formula 1 left U.S. soil after the 2007 race at Indianapolis, there was uncertainty about whether it could ever return. The sport’s reentry in 2012 came through Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, the first U.S. track purpose-built with F1 in mind. From the very first race, which drew over 100,000 spectators, to the roar of cars over 20 turns of elevation change, Austin made its mark. Lewis Hamilton, then still in a McLaren, won that inaugural race in 2012, which felt like an appropriate way to relaunch the USGP on American grounds.
Over the subsequent years, COTA has become one of the most reliable and celebrated stops on the calendar. It has hosted the USGP annually (except for the forced cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and has overseen a number of defining moments. Mercedes clinched a Constructors’ Championship on Texas soil in 2017; in its earliest years, Austin was where Red Bull wrapped up titles. The track has seen dramatic streaks, record runs, and performances that pushed narratives forward.
Beyond the on-track drama, COTA has leaned into spectacle and culture, blending concert performances, community events, and festival flair into the USGP weekend. The attendance figures have reflected that ambition, weekend totals reaching into the hundreds of thousands, making Austin not just a race, but a major fan destination. Occasionally, the event has also dealt with its share of controversies — safety incidents, track invasions, promoter fines — but each time the USGP in Austin has shown resilience.
All told, Austin will be hosting its 13th USGP this weekend, making it one of the longest continuous modern runs of the event.
Why Austin Works
So why has the USGP finally settled in Austin when so many American venues came and went? It comes down to a perfect collision of culture, geography, and timing.
From the start, Austin embraced the USGP not as a niche motorsport event, but as a weekend-long festival. Formula 1 arrived in Texas just as the city’s “Keep Austin Weird” identity was booming, blending global glamour with local authenticity. COTA leaned into that balance, pairing world-class racing with live music, barbecue smoke, and skyline sunsets. Fans didn’t just show up for the grid; they came for the experience.
The circuit itself also plays a role in the lore. Built from the ground up for F1, COTA’s 20-turn layout was designed with nods to Silverstone, Suzuka, and Hockenheim; a love letter to classic tracks with a distinctly American edge. The steep climb into Turn 1 has become one of the sport’s most iconic visuals, a proving ground for daring drivers and dramatic starts.
Timing helped, too. The Austin debut in 2012 came just as F1 was beginning to modernize its marketing and global reach. Social media was expanding the fanbase, Netflix’s Drive to Survive would soon turn casual viewers into diehards, and American brands were rediscovering the value of global sports entertainment. COTA became the anchor for F1’s stateside renaissance; a test that would later prove the U.S. could sustain not just one, but multiple Grands Prix.
The Future of the USGP in Austin
As the sport evolves and expands across North America, Austin remains a staple for F1’s U.S. presence. The current contract with COTA runs through 2026. Yet talks are already underway about extension, and some reports suggest a new deal could stretch to 2034.
In closing, the legacy of the United States Grand Prix in Austin is still being written. Over the past 13 years, the event has anchored the sport’s U.S. return, cultivated landmark moments, paved the way for US expansion, and become a destination in its own right. Whether for the next four years or the next decade or two, the Texan host has earned its place as a defining chapter in America’s Grand Prix story.
Read More:
How Darius Garland Found His Perfect Fit with New Balance
The New York Jets’ Vicious Cycle of Failure Under Woody Johnson
Adidas Reimagines Tradition with 2026 FIFA World Cup Home Kits
Madison Keys Fully Embraces Tennis Journey with WTA Finals Return
Andrew Ross Sorkin on Elon Musk, Oprah, AI, and the Next Big Stock Market Crash
