Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 FIA-specification 3.426-mile (5.514 km) motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, in the United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix, NASCAR's Texas Grand Prix, and the Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round in MotoGP and the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Lone Star Le Mans. It previously hosted the Australian V8 Supercars, the Americas Rallycross Championship, the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Classic.
Layout of the Grand Prix circuit | |
| Location | Austin, Texas, United States |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC−6 / UTC−5 (DST) |
| Coordinates | 30°7′58″N 97°38′28″W |
| Capacity | 120,000 |
| FIA Grade | 1 |
| Owner | Circuit of the Americas LLC |
| Broke ground | December 31, 2010 |
| Opened | October 21, 2012 |
| Architect | Hermann Tilke Miró Rivera Architects |
| Major events | Current:
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| Website | http://circuitoftheamericas.com |
| Grand Prix Circuit (2012–present) | |
| Length | 3.426 miles (5.513 km) |
| Turns | 20 |
| Race lap record | 1:36.169 ( Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF90, 2019, F1) |
| National Circuit (2012–present) | |
| Length | 2.300 miles (3.792 km) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Race lap record | 1:33.284 ( Johnny O'Connell, Cadillac CTS-V, 2013, PWC GT) |
The circuit and Grand Prix were first proposed in the middle of 2010. The circuit was the first in the United States to be purpose-built for Formula One. The layout was conceived by promoter Tavo Hellmund and 1993 Motorcycle World Champion Kevin Schwantz with the assistance of German architect and circuit designer Hermann Tilke, who has also designed the Sepang, Shanghai, Yas Marina, Istanbul, Bahrain, Yeongam, and Buddh circuits, as well as the reprofiling of the Hockenheimring and Fuji Speedway.