Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Racing Circuit

Circuit of The Americas, widely known as COTA, lies on rolling land in Travis County just outside Austin, Texas, and was the first track in the United States purpose-built for Formula One. Proposed in 2010 by promoter Tavo Hellmund, who had secured a deal with Bernie Ecclestone, its layout was conceived with motorcycle world champion Kevin Schwantz and circuit designer Hermann Tilke. The design borrows ideas from celebrated corners around the world, with its opening complex echoing Silverstone's Maggotts-Becketts and a stadium section recalling Hockenheim, while Turn 8 takes cues from Istanbul Park. Construction was completed at an estimated cost of around 300 million dollars amid funding disputes that ultimately cut Hellmund from the event's promotion. The circuit opened in October 2012 and held its inaugural United States Grand Prix that November, won by Lewis Hamilton. Its most distinctive feature is the steep uphill run to the blind Turn 1 hairpin, which crests roughly 41 metres above the start line. The full Grand Prix layout measures 5.513 km over 20 turns and has hosted a remarkable breadth of championships, including F1, MotoGP, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IndyCar, IMSA, the V8 Supercars and, since 2021, NASCAR. The clay soil on which it is built has caused the surface to settle and develop bumps, prompting repeated resurfacing and repair work. For 2025, NASCAR switched to a shortened layout based on the National Circuit, bypassing the long back straight via a Turn 6 shortcut. Beyond racing, the site includes a 14,000-capacity amphitheatre and a landmark observation tower.

Operated by: Circuit of the Americas LLC