NYCRachel

Hey there!

Been to Austin a bunch of times and will be returning next month for the Formula One race.

Two questions that I'm having trouble with finding answers to:

1) Do they have public transportation/shuttles to the track? What's the parking situation like? Ticketmaster has parking passes that are absurdly expensive. I assume there is decently priced parking there though? I'm staying at an Airbnb near South Congress FWIW.

2) My tickets are GA. I've been to the Australian F1 race in GA and remember just sitting on a lawn and watched the race. Is this similar? Am I allowed to bring in folding chairs? My concern is that I'm attending with my father, who is a senior. I just want to make sure he is comfortable during the race.

Thanks!

MissJ

I've been every year. Yes, there are shuttles at the track. They are outside of the gates, but getting in and out is fast. There are buses that just go in circles around the property and to the various official parking lots. Parking in the official lots is crazy expensive, but there are tons of private lots setup in fields. Just be sure you grab a spot in one with some sort of shuttle or you will be walking for a bit.

As for chairs, yes, you can bring in collapsible chairs. It's a huge place so try to look at the map and figure out where you may want to set up before you go.

Feel free to ask about anything else.

NYCRachel

Thank you!! Are there any shuttles from downtown so I can just ditch my rental car?

Usually I'm not this clueless when it comes to stuff like this. Their official website is useless!

MissJ

They have in the past, but didn't release info on them until close to raceday. They were located at 4th and Trinity last year. I haven't taken them, but I imagine they are pretty regular. I always see a ton of buses so there are a lot of private bus companies running their own as well.

edcaya

If prior years are any indication, then there will be shuttles from downtown to the track. Mind that there's a fair bit of walking from the shuttle drop-off point to the track entrance, but they might be running golf carts to and from.

rickg523

I found this on the Intercontinental Hotel website.
"Transportation
Circuit of The Americas is happy to announce they will be providing a daily shuttle for Formula One Attendees from downtown Austin to COTA on Oct 23-25 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday . The COTA shuttle will pick up attendees at the Austin Convention Center continuously throughout the day. The shuttle avoids traffic by taking the toll road, saving guests time and stress.

As in the past, the shuttle to Circuit of The Americas will cost $10 USD per day and drop passengers on the northern edge of COTA property, within a reasonable walk to the circuit. For a more VIP experience, there will be an Express shuttle service that will drop passengers off on COTA Blvd, directly across from the Grand Plaza. The Express shuttle pass will cost $25 USD per day and be available on a first come, first serve basis. In 2014 the premium shuttle sold out before 10 a.m. each day. All fares must be paid in CASH."

MissJ

Shuttle from downtown has been confirmed. My tickets arrived the other day and there was information about it in the package.

I'll be driving though as I'm headed right to the airport after the race. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the trouble to sell my tickets and parking pass to someone who just wants to come in after the race and see Elton John. Hm.....

NYCRachel

Thanks for the heads up. I haven't gotten my tickets yet, which is a bit concerning.

I'll probably drive there since I'll have some folding chairs for the GA section.

NYCRachel

Any idea of the best place to setup for GA? Preferably a place with a bit of a pitch, so I don't just see whooshes of cars for .25 seconds

MissJ

Honestly, I have no idea. I'm in the same seats every year and see it all. The track is pretty big, so even after being there for every F1 plus V8 Supercars and Tudor, I still have barely been all the way to the back. When I was there for ALMS a few years back, I wandered over to the center by the stage and sat on the hill between 18 and 19. Nice spot. The GA in front of our seats at T1 is always busy. Great view of the front straight, start/finish, and the hairpin at T1.

Are you going for all three days?

NYCRachel

Assume since 18/19 there's a hill it's a better pitch than the seats in front of T1?

I'll just be there Sunday. Enjoying Austin the rest of the weekend with my family. Excited! Always have such a good time in down there.

MissJ

I can't quite remember what it's like down below the seats on T1 when it's all setup. I don't move around much during F1 since there are so many people there. It's really different than with the smaller races, which I do walk around, because those races don't have the extra stands and all the hospitality suites setup. If I can remember, I'll look around Saturday and see what spots within my view look good.

If anyone wants to go and just check out Friday practice, I have two tickets and a parking pass that I won't be using. I don't land until Friday afternoon so I'll only be there Saturday and Sunday.

NYCRachel

Thanks for the offer! My (much younger) brother is touring UT-Austin on Friday or I might have taken you up on it .

If you could let me know which spots have a good pitch on Saturday that would be IMMENSELY helpful. Like I said before, I'm going with my father, who is a senior and would love to not have him walking around aimlessly with me.

edcaya

Given your father's mobility issues, I'd set up on the grassy stretch between Turn 18 and 19. There's a TV screen, easy access to restrooms and vendors, and it's not that far a walk from the Grand Plaza entrance, which is near the shuttle pickup/drop-off point. Get there as early as you can, though; it and Turn 1 seem to fill up quite quickly, especially on race day.

MissJ

Good point. T1 is a bit of a hassle to get to from the grand plaza.