United States Grand Prix 2026

Circuit of the Americas opened in 2012 as America's first purpose-built Formula 1 track in a generation, and 2026 adds a genuine first of its own: Grand PrixView Thursday, a new standalone fourth day of the race weekend built around F1 Academy track action and early Fan Zone access — on top of the usual Friday-Sunday structure. Austin didn't inherit this race from anywhere; it built the circuit specifically to bring F1 back to American soil, and the city has spent over a decade building an entire weekend's worth of culture around it.

This is also the one Grand Prix where the concerts are close to as big a draw as the racing. Maroon 5 headlines Friday night, Post Malone takes Saturday, and Alesso closes the whole weekend with a post-race set — every one included on the same race ticket, no separate purchase needed. And because COTA sits inside Austin itself rather than a satellite town, the whole city — Franklin Barbecue's line, South Congress, Sixth Street, Lady Bird Lake — is genuinely part of the trip, not a separate day-trip decision.

Everything you need to plan the trip: costs, tickets, where to stay, where to eat, and the detail that only matters once you're actually going.