The Grand Prix has been a part of US motor racing, on and off, for the last 114 years. It has taken many forms and has at times been at the center of controversy, but remains a very popular event that attracts international driving teams.
The venue has changed a number of times, but the Grand Prix has remained at the Circuit of the Americas for the last 10 years. The 2022 United States Grand Prix will happen from 21 to 23 October in Austin, Texas.
History of the United States Grand Prix
The first Grand Prix to take place in the United States of America was in 1908. It was held at Georgia’s Savannah Automobile Club.
Between 1912 and 1916, the event was known as the American Grand Prize race. Despite there being some upset regarding the previous issues of crowd control and violence associated with the Vanderbilt Cup in its past, the Grand Prize joined forces with this event for a few years.
Unfortunately, due to the first World War, the Grand Prize was discontinued as there were too few international participants.
There were occasional Grand Prix events between 1917 and 1961, but they were few and far between. Races that were run to the Grand Prix standard were introduced during this period, such as the remodeled Vanderbilt Cup and the Indianapolis 500.
There was a short revival between 1989 and 1991, where a street circuit was used for the Grand Prix in Pheonix, Arizona.
After a long hiatus, the Grand Prix returned to the United States in 2000, taking place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was held here for seven years, and Michael Schumacher won five of the races, four of them consecutively.
There were no further Grand Prix races until the event started up at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin in 2012.
F1 Circuit in Austin, Texas
Designed in 2010, the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, is 3.426 miles (5.514 kilometers) long. This purpose-built circuit is located east of the city on 800 acres of land. and was built over a period of 2 years.
The Grand Prix returned to the United States in 2012, with the first Formula One race of the new era taking place at the track in Austin, Texas. In the first race of the new season, Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line first and took the checkered flag, followed closely by Sebastian Vettel.
This circuit has been the US Grand Prix’s home ever since. There was a short time during the 2020 global Covid-19 pandemic when there were no races, but they resumed in 2021.
The other US-based Formula 1 races are: Las Vegas F1 and Miami F1.
United States Grand Prix Location and Schedule
The 2022 US Grand Prix will run from Friday, 21 – Sunday, 23 October, at the COTA raceway in Austin, Texas. As always, it is set to be a very exciting race weekend! There will be a variety of amusement rides, performances by international artists, as well as all the exciting motor races.
The first practice race of this jam-packed weekend will take place on the afternoon of Friday, 21 October, and the final race will be on the afternoon of Sunday, the 23rd. Here is the complete schedule for the weekend (all times are local).
Practice 1: 21 October 2022 | 14:00 – 15:00
Practice 2: 22 October 2022 | 17:00 – 18:00
Practice 3: 22 October 2022 | 14:00 – 15:00
Qualifying: 23 October 2022 | 17:00 – 18:00
Race: 23 October 2022 | 14:00 – 16:00
Track/Circuit Information
The impressive COTA raceway has 20 turns and has a 133 feet elevation change throughout the circuit. It runs counterclockwise, resulting in more left-hand turns than right. Formula One world championship drivers are more accustomed to clockwise circuits, so this particular race track is more physically challenging than others.
The first corner, the highest point on the circuit, is reached after the drivers climb a gradient of more than 11% from the starting line, with the corner’s apex situated on the top of the hill. A succession of quick sweepers modeled after Silverstone’s Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex are encountered as they descend the hill.
At Turn 10, they encounter a blind corner that leads to the opposite end of the circuit and a hairpin at Turn 11. As the drivers hit the final sector of the lap, they weave through a sequence of turns that are based on the stadium section of Hockenheim before returning in a straight line 0.62 miles (1.00 km) to the pit and paddock area.
Before reaching the last two corners of the track, the drivers navigate a multi-apex corner with a downhill trajectory. After passing this, they return to the straight via 2 left-hand turns.
How to Buy Tickets for United States Grand Prix
Tickets for the 2022 events can be purchased from COTA’s official website. They offer a variety of different official ticket packages, some of which include transport and accommodation.
Tickets to any Formula One World Championship Race sell quickly, so we advise booking as soon as possible!
