Be forewarned. I am relatively new to Formula 1, this is my first full season, and this is my first time attending a race. I may not have caught everything interesting but these were my experiences.

I live in Austin. I know this changes the experience a bit but once at the track I feel that it should be the same. I arrived at the track when gates opened at 8am. Yes, this is early but if you want to make the most of your ticket cost and avoid traffic on the way to the track earlier is better. FP 1 wasn't set to take place until 10am so I took the time to get to know my are of the track. I was in the turn 15 complex near the entrance to turn 16 and this has to be on of the better seats at the track. There are two good options for this are. Either far left in the grandstands looking down the main straight between turns 11 and 12. I think the better option is on the high right side of the stands. From here you can seen the entire 12-15 complex, but what really make it best is that you can see from corner 1 all the way through 6.

If you plan on going on Friday or Saturday I recommend picking the premium F1 app. The access to team radio really helps make all the FPs more interesting. Between FP 1 and 2 I walked the perimeter of the track and looked at the other possible viewing angles for future years. I'll probably stick with the 15 complex though. Back to the seat for FP 2.

Friday was Halloween so some friends and I went downtown which is both terrible and awesome. There was the COTA Fanfest going with free live concerts which were a load of fun and if you travel in for the race a great way to have some fun. If large crowds are you thing there is also 6^th street, the local college bar crawl. On weekend nights about 8 blocks of 6^th street are closed so drunks can wonder from bar to bar which are more closely pack then advisable. That night I saw a lady get so angry a breast fell out, she didn't care, and two people vomit with out slowing down their pace.

Saturday was much the the same. Early to the track and some pretty good support races. These event are timed well to fill the length time between F1 events.

Race day was packed. Getting to the track and parking was easy enough but once inside it took some time to get much of anything done. Line from concessions to the bathrooms took 20-30 minutes easily you if you need a break just prepare for it to take some time.

The race was fantastic as much of the battles and overtaking took place in the 15 complex. The crowd was so incredibly pro Lewis the when he took the lead the cheered him past for the next three laps.

If you are thinking about going to a race the USGP at COTA is a great on to attend. The town is fantastic. More great food, drink, and entertainment then one should rightly have access to. Come stay either downtown or within waking distance to be close to the fun. There are buses which run to the track so it is easy to get out there when you want. The track is great and the crowd was so lively and friendly you feel like you are amongst 100,000 friends. I cannot recommend enough how much it is worth the trip. Come on down had have a rip snorting good time. YEEHAW!!!