Circuit of the Americas (United States Grand Prix)
The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas is a 5.513 km purpose-built track hosting the United States Grand Prix. It opens with a steep uphill climb to a hairpin at Turn 1, flows through a sequence of esses inspired by Silverstone and Suzuka, and ends with a long back straight that makes for strong overtaking.
At a glance
- Location: Austin, Texas, USA
- Length: 5.513 km
- Corners: 20
- Layout: permanent circuit, run anti-clockwise
The character
:::analysis COTA is a greatest-hits circuit by design, borrowing corner concepts from some of the sport's best venues. The blind, steeply uphill run to the Turn 1 hairpin is a signature braking and overtaking point, the high-speed esses through the first sector reward commitment and aerodynamic load, and the long back straight to the Turn 12 hairpin sets up the other main pass. A notoriously bumpy surface adds a ride-and-stability challenge. :::
Strategy and overtaking
Two long straights with DRS into heavy braking zones make COTA a genuine overtaking circuit, so strategists can be aggressive knowing places can be recovered on track[1]. The bumps and the high-energy esses drive tyre wear, which usually opens a window between one and two stops depending on degradation.
Related
- [1]Circuit of the Americas (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-06-18.