Tickets – 2017 US Grand Prix at COTA
Advice on buying tickets to the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Detailed information on grandstands and the best vantage points. The next race takes place on October 20-22, 2017.
Images supplied by Marie Misso.
Tickets for the 2017 US Grand Prix went on sale in late March and prices are pretty much the same as last year. You can save almost 10% on 3-day General Admission tickets when buying before July 9 ($159 vs $175), but this is the only early-bird disount on offer. 3-day tickets for the bleacher grandstands start from $275 (Turn 4) and 3-day “Premium grandstand” tickets start at $445 (Turn 1 low and Turn 15 low). Justin Timberlake has been announced as the headliner for the main concert on Saturday, October 21.
2017 US Grand Prix ticket prices
| Ticket Type | Price ($USD) |
|---|---|
| Main Premium Grandstand (3-days) | $595 (Trackside) / $695 (Lower) / $1095 (Mezz) / $1295 (Club) |
| Turn 1 Premium Grandstand (3-days) | $445 (Lower) / $545 (Mid) / $645 (Top) |
| Turn 15 Premium Grandstand (3-days) | $445 (Lower) / $545 (Mid) / $645 (Top) |
| Turn 12 Bleachers (3-days) | $315 (Lower: rows 11-26) / $395 (Higher: rows 27-37) (Please note: 1-day lower tickets for Sat or Sun cost $200) |
| Turn 9 Bleachers (3-days) | $275 ($175 for 1-day: Sat or Sun) |
| Turn 4 Bleachers (3-days) | $275 ($175 for 1-day: Sat or Sun) |
| General Admission (3-days) | $175 (or $159 to July 4) |
COTA F1 Ticket Types
- General Admission: access to the circuit, but no reserved seat. Only 3-day tickets are available.
- Bleachers: reserved grandstands with bench seating. Sold as 3-day tickets, or single day tickets for Saturday or Sunday
- Premium Grandstands: individually seated grandstands at the best locations. These tickets are only sold for 3 days (Friday-Sunday)
- VIP/hospitality: the highest priced tickets include catering, situated at the top of the best grandstands or above the pits.
- With lots of elevation changes, the views from both General Admission (GA) areas and most grandstands at COTA are excellent.
- There are plenty of big screen TVs for both grandstand ticket holders and those in GA.
- Single-day tickets are available for some of the bleachers on either Saturday or Sunday. (The Saturday only tickets also provide access to the Justin Timberlake concert)
- Looking for the best grandstand to watch the concerts on the main stage? Choose the Turn 9 bleachers.
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.
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
- Turn 15 Premium Grandstand
- Turn 1 Premium Grandstand
- Turn 9 Bleachers
- Turn 12 Bleachers
Click here to buy US Grand Prix tickets. Have you been to COTA? Leave a comment and tell us your favorite place to watch the action!
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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?