Tickets – 2018 US Grand Prix at COTA
Detailed information on grandstands and the best tickets to buy for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on October 19-21, 2018.
Tickets for the 2018 US Grand Prix went on sale April 27 and prices are largely unchanged from last year. With lots of elevation changes, the views from both General Admission (GA) areas and most grandstands at COTA are excellent. Most fans buy a ticket for all 3 days of the weekend (Friday to Sunday), though single-day tickets are available; these can be good if seeing the concert on a particular day is important to you.
- This year’s US Grand Prix concerts at COTA will be headlined by Bruno Mars on Saturday, October 20 and Britney Spears on Sunday, October 21. The Turn 9 Bleachers are the best grandstand to choose for good views of the concert stage.
- Images supplied by Marie Misso. Support the ongoing development and improvement of our free Grand Prix travel guides by buying your F1 tickets from our partners, Gootickets. We receive a small commission when you buy using the links on this page. We don’t apply any markup, so you’ll always pay the cheapest price!
2018 US Grand Prix tickets (3-days)
| Ticket Type | Price ($USD) |
|---|---|
| Turn 12 COTA Club | $2200 |
| Main Premium Grandstand | Club = $1295 Mezz = $1095 Lower = $695 Trackside = $595 |
| Turn 1 Premium Grandstand | Top = $645 Mid = $545 Lower = $445 |
| Turn 15 Premium Grandstand | Top = $645 Mid = $545 Lower = $445 |
| Turn 12 Bleachers | Higher (rows 27-37) = $395 Lower (rows 11-26) = $315 |
| Turn 9 Bleachers | $275 |
| Turn 4 Bleachers | $275 |
| General Admission | $169 early bird ($189 regular price) |
COTA TICKET TYPES
- VIP/hospitality: tickets in special areas with full catering and good trackside views. For example, COTA Club at Turn 12 or Champions Club from F1 Experiences.
- Gootickets Top Rows: guaranteed top-row seats in selected grandstands for a small premium over the regular ticket price. Recommended
- Premium Grandstands: individually seated grandstands at the best locations: Main Grandstand opposite the pits, Turn 1 & Turn 15. Most tickets are sold for 3 days, though some cheaper categories are also sold for individual days.
- Bleachers: reserved grandstands with bench seating on Turns 4, 9 and 12. Sold as 3-day tickets, or single day tickets for Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
- General Admission: the cheapest 3-day tickets provide access to the circuit, but no reserved seat.
MAIN GRANDSTAND
Pictured above. This is the grandstand to choose if you are keen to know what is going on in the pits and experience the build up, start and finish of the race (see panorama, above). The atmosphere is always good here, but if you are after on-track action, it’s not the best choice. The Main Grandstand also boasts some of the highest prices of any at the circuit, which is another consideration. We prefer other grandstands, like Turn 1 or Turn 15.
TURN 1 GRANDSTAND
The Turn 1 grandstand is popular (and expensive) for good reason, with excellent panoramic views of the circuit from the top of the hill overlooking the main straight and first corner. There’s a big elevation change from the start/finish line to the first corner and the cars take the blind apex at low speeds, giving photographers a good chance to capture the action.
TURN 4 BLEACHERS
This is one of the cheaper bleacher-style grandstands and represents decent value. You get a view of the cars taking the high-speed esses section of the circuit. Check out a panorama of the view from Grandstand 4 here.
TURN 9 BLEACHERS
The views are also decent from the Turn 9 bleachers. If you get a seat high up in the stand (recommended), you’ll be able to see around 50% of the circuit; from the esses beginning at turn 4 through to the hairpin at turn 11. Check out some pictures of the view from the Turn 9 bleachers here.
TURN 12 BLEACHERS
Most of the overtaking at COTA takes place in the heavy braking zone leading into Turn 12, which makes this grandstand (or Turn 15) a good choice for on-track action. Arguably the best seats are actually those furthest away from Turn 12 (closest to the Turn 15 grandstand), where you get a better view of this whole section of the track (Turns 12-16).
TURN 15 GRANDSTAND
One of the more popular grandstands at COTA, and for good reason. The views from the two separate Turn 15 grandstands are excellent; depending on your exact seat, you should get a decent view of the action from turns 12-16. You also get proper seats (as opposed to bleachers in the nearby Turn 12 grandstand) and the toilet facilities and food choice are better.
GENERAL ADMISSION VIEWS
With lots of elevation, the views from General Admission (GA) at COTA are excellent. Walk the track during the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday to get a feel for the best places to watch, then get there early on race day to reserve your spot. There are good hillside vantage points in GA all around the circuit, but particularly around turns 1, 7-8, 11, 15 and 18-19.
Been to COTA? Leave a comment with your favorite place to watch the action!
Accommodation – 2019 US Grand Prix in Austin
The best budget, mid-range and luxury accommodation in Austin for the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix.
United States Grand Prix Travel Quiz
How well do you know Circuit of The Americas, Austin and the United States Grand Prix? Time to test your knowledge in our new F1 travel quiz!
Getting There & Around – United States Grand Prix at COTA
Advice on getting to Austin for the US Formula 1 Grand Prix, plus how to get to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Trackside at COTA – 2018 US Grand Prix
Your trackside guide to Circuit of the Americas for the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Tickets – 2018 US Grand Prix at COTA
Detailed information on grandstands and the best tickets to buy for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on October 19-21, 2018.
Off-Track Activities – United States Grand Prix
Downtown Austin is bursting with activity day and night, lending a lively atmosphere to US Grand Prix weekend away from the Circuit of the Americas. The next race weekend is October 19-21, 2018.
Budget Planner – 2018 United States Grand Prix
Work out how much your weekend in Austin for the United States Grand Prix will set you back. Read our Circuit of the Americas budget planner!
Race Facts – United States Grand Prix
Sebring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Circuit of the Americas. The United States Grand Prix has a checkered history, but Liberty Media are keen to expand the sport’s footprint in the United States.
Travel Basics – United States Grand Prix
Start planning your trip to Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix. This year’s race at Circuit of the Americas is on October 19-21, 2018.
Tags: best grandstands at us grand prix cota, best places to watch at COTA, cota f1 tickets, COTA formula 1 tickets, full-image, us grand prix, us grand prix tickets, usgp tickets, where to sit at COTA
Probably not going this year.
Where can you buy tickets to the race, and gain access to the Legends Club facility?
Hi Dennis, all US Grand Prix tickets will go on sale shortly, probably around the first week of April. You will be able to buy through the links on our site. Follow us on social media and we will be sure to update you!
Hi Andrew… I attended the races back in 2012 (T4) and 2015 (T11). Would be more than happy to share my videos with you. T11 is pretty nice since you pay a grand admission ticket but cars will move so slow in front of you. Cheers!
Hi, that would be great! Can you send me an email, thanks.
Hi,
Why are the tickets on here cheaper than those on the official F1 website? Thanks!
Hi Nicki, we use the same supplier as F1.com, but we don’t apply an additional mark up on prices like they do. So it’s simple, we are less greedy:)
Hi! When do things wrap up in Sunday? Looking at flights. Thanks!
Do you get accces to the circuit and get to walk the track with any purchase or is it certain tickets?
Hi Tor, all the tickets give you general access to the circuit and to the common areas. The cheapest of these tickets are General Admission, but you don’t get a seat with those ones. All other tickets give you a seat, plus general access to the common areas of the circuit.
Will general admission be made available for single days (i.e Raceday) ? Or are they only available for all 3 days?
Hi Raj, General Admission tickets are only for 3 days, but there are cheapish grandstand tickets available on Sunday (e.g. turn 4 or turn 9 bleachers for $175)
Will there be a pit walk about for ticket holders on the Thursday (11/19) before activities begin on Friday. Thanks for an excellent site.
Hi Louis, I am not sure. We will need to wait for the full weekend schedule to be released for 2017. It should be available soon!
I have 2 F1 three day tickets in the upper section of turn 12 for sale at COTA 2017. What is the best way to publicize that these are available for sale?
is Admission into the concert separate or included?
Hi Nathan, concert entry is included in the F1 ticket price, provided you have a valid ticket for the day of the concert
Can I get 3 day tickets, hotel and flights through you?
Hi Dan, we don’t do packages yet, but feel free to ask for advice to book your own ticket, flights and hotel
Hi there, are there likely to be Fri/Sat or Saturday only tickets? I need to catch a flight Sunday but would love to see some practice and/or qualifying.
Yes, there will be Saturday only tickets available
Hi,
When do 2018 tickets go on sale? Also, various folks I’ve spoken to have said the higher stands in T12 are the seats to go for. Would anyone here agree with this.
Cheers,
N
Hi Nimesh, tickets should go on sale very soon, in the next few weeks.
Are the tickets on sale now? See nothing on the f1 website.
Not yet, but they should be on sale in the next week or two
If I have general admission tickets, can I go to turn 12 to watch the match?
Yes you can!
Will GA tickets get access to the concerts?
Yes!
Hi, do you sell Thursday “pit lane walk” tickets as well?
Hi. It’s not possible to buy “Pit Lane Walk” tickets on their own. But I do recommend the ticket packages from F1 Experiences, some of which include an Exclusive Pit Lane Walk on Thursday which is much less crowded than the main one.
Hi There! I’m looking to get some advice on where to sit. If I purchase tickets for the grandstand or bleacher grandstand, can I get into the GA sections as well?
Hi Beta, yes you can. The GA sections are open to all ticket holders across the weekend.
I received my 3 day grandstand tickets in the mail already. To see the concert, is there a wristband that accompanies the ticket, or do I just show the ticket to gain access the the GA section?
Hi! It looks like the one day parking its not available at the moment and i dont want to spend over $100 for just one day… Is it possible to find parking on Sunday without buying it in advance?
Are the atickets that cost an additional $99 close to the stage during the concert worth it?