F1 in Texas: Well, now the championship is exciting again
Formula 1 held the third of its five North American rounds this past weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Unlike the races in Montreal, Miami, and Las Vegas, the US Grand Prix is held on a proper road course, one purpose-built for the task of hosting F1 a little over a decade ago.
It's a circuit Ars knows quite well-along with some friends, I was on the turn-19 banking for the first race in 2012, and we checked out Caterham's setup the following year; toured the F1 tech center in 2015, where the race broadcasts are directed; then learned about tires there with Pirelli in 2021. And we've driven it in everything from an Audi TT-S to a Corvette ZR1 to a Mocabene Vent Noir. Not to mention all the Lone Star Le Mans races we've attended.
The crowds now exceed even the mass of humanity that showed up for that first race. And while Miami and Las Vegas have been pitched at the more money than they know what to do with" people, ticket prices at COTA are more reasonable (for an F1 event). As long as you don't mind brutal heat and humidity, it can be quite a good race to attend.