The Circuit of The Americas predates Formula 1’s American boom, and it shows, with less focus on VIPs and more on the ‘real’ fans. With an attendance of 430,000 in 2024, it’s one of the most attended races on the calendar, and a strong case can be made that it’s the real standout among the dozens of US venues F1 has visited over the past 70 years. For the fans there are countless spectacular viewpoints, while for the drivers it is a challenging and varied circuit, with the fast corners from Turn 3 to Turn 9 being the highlight. Although it is rarely mentioned by drivers as their outright favorite, it ranks right at the top.
This is a circuit that has it all, including something that Miami and Las Vegas lack: elevation gain – just over 40 meters of it. That may not sound like much, but it’s put to good use, and the 11 percent climb to the slow Turn 1, which Lando Norris took in first gear on his 2024 pole lap, is the circuit’s signature corner. The undulations, combined with the wide range of cornering speeds, make it difficult to line up for the current generation of cars due to the risk of bottoming out – something that led to the exclusion of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes after the 2023 race.
The sweeps that follow start quickly: flat in Turn 3, then around 275 km/h in Turn 4 to around 160 km/h in Turn 8. It’s one of the best corner combinations on the calendar, one where mistakes can multiply and lead to time bleeding away. It’s almost a hybrid of the famous “Snake” section at the start of the lap at Suzuka and the Maggotts/Becketts complex at Silverstone. It provides a true spectacle, both on the circuit and on TV.
No one talks much about the hairpin bend that follows, a conventional left-hander in first gear, but one that can be time-consuming, especially in today’s cars where low front downforce is paramount. That sends the cars back to the long road to Turn 12, which leads to the switchback section to Turn 15, with a tricky approach that requires drivers to combine braking and turning. The deceptively fast triple right-hander of Turns 16-18, taken at full throttle, follows before the left-hander of Turn 19 drops away in sixth gear and returns the cars to the slow left-hander on the start/finish straight.
It’s the variety of turns that makes COTA difficult. The fast corners put huge amounts of energy into the tyres, and despite last year’s race being a one-stopper, some management is required even during the qualifying laps to ensure a good grip balance throughout the lap. But the circuit is also constantly in motion, built on soft ground where water erosion causes endless movements. That has led to the need to resurface, especially after criticism from MotoGP riders, but it does mean the circuit is always subtly changing.
So Circuit of The Americas is a throwback: it’s a modern facility, but one that feels more organic and rough around the edges than Miami and Las Vegas. It also ensures good racing, passing and pure fun for the drivers.
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