United States Grand Prix 2026

Circuit of the Americas, known as COTA, hosts the United States Grand Prix in south-eastern Travis County, near Austin, Texas, in the United States. Opened in 2012, it was the first circuit in the country purpose-built for Formula 1. The layout was conceived by promoter Tavo Hellmund and former motorcycle world champion Kevin Schwantz, with Hermann Tilke and architects HKS completing the design.

The anti-clockwise lap begins with a steep climb to the broad, hairpin-like Turn 1, followed by fast esses modelled on Silverstone's Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel. After the Turn 11 hairpin, a long back straight leads into a slower, stadium-style section inspired by Hockenheim, before a multi-apex sequence based on Istanbul Park's famous Turn 8. The circuit rises and falls by around 40 metres.

• The first circuit in the United States purpose-built for Formula 1.
• Opened on 21 October 2012 by 1978 world champion Mario Andretti.
• Its esses were modelled on Silverstone's Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel sequence.

What to watch for: The uphill braking zone into Turn 1 and the long back straight into Turn 12 offer the best overtaking chances, while the mix of high- and low-speed corners makes set-up a compromise.