I was honestly nervous going in after reading some of the feedback here. Shuttles, traffic, heat, bathrooms, following the race in person... I was preparing for the worst, and thankfully, most of those worries never materialized. Figured I’d share what worked for us in case it helps another first-timer.
Downtown shuttle
We got to the downtown shuttle around 9 a.m. each day and never waited more than five minutes to board. The ride to COTA took about 30–40 minutes each morning. Very easy.
We stayed in East Austin and Ubered to the shuttle Friday through Sunday. Our morning rides were about $8 and took around 10 minutes.
Turn 12 was an excellent choice
We sat in Turn 12, Section 7, and I cannot recommend it enough. We could see Turns 12, 13, 14, and 15, so we could follow the action through multiple corners. We also had a view of both screens in that area, which helped a lot.
The other HUGE benefit was being close to the Grand Plaza entrance and shuttle pickup. If I were booking grandstands again, I’d probably stick with 12, 14, or 15 for that convenience alone. The ability to jet to the shuttle at the end of the day and beat the crowds is worth the price alone.
The bleachers themselves were uncomfortable, though. I bought a $15 seat cushion at the COTALAND store, and that helped.
Getting out: Saturday and Sunday were shockingly easy
This was probably my biggest worry going in.
On Saturday, we left Turn 12 just after Max came through on his final Q3 lap. We walked about 10 minutes to the shuttle, boarded, and I shit you not, were back in Austin about 25 minutes later.
On Sunday, we left with four laps remaining, after Charles passed Max for 2nd. Got on the bus and were back in Austin about 25 minutes later. On RACE DAY. Absolutely wild.
Obviously, leaving before the finish helped. I can’t speak to the shuttle experience after the checkered flag, but that tradeoff worked really well for us.
Coming from the Esses or somewhere else across the track would have meant a much longer walk or leaving earlier to reach the shuttle at the same time. If you're taking the shuttle and want to exit quickly I recommend one of the sections close to the grand plaza.
Friday taught us that the map can be deceiving
Friday was our day to explore. We checked out Turn 1, the Esses, and other parts of the circuit.
Looking at the map, I thought we could exit near Turn 1 (at the end of FP2) before COTALAND and cut across the parking lot toward the shuttles. The parking staff wouldn’t let us take that route, so we had to walk through COTALAND instead.
Getting to the shuttle took the better part of an hour. By then, more people were leaving in their cars, and the ride back to Austin took about an hour and 15 minutes.
So yes, we did have one slower exit. My biggest takeaway: Turn 1 to the downtown shuttle feels MUCH farther than it looks on the map. Don’t plan around a parking-lot shortcut being available.
Weather, water, and staying comfortable
We got incredibly lucky with the weather. Mid-80s and plenty of cloud cover made it much more manageable than I’d feared.
Even so, around 2 p.m. each day, I started feeling a little lightheaded despite drinking water and using electrolytes. Eating helped me feel better, so I clearly needed to stay on top of food, too.
I used the refill stations, but the water wasn’t particularly cold. Each day I ended up buying a Gatorade just to have a cold drink.
Three things I was very glad I brought:
- A cooling towel. Cannot recommend this enough.
- A good sun hat.
- A portable fan.
Even with relatively manageable weather, all three got plenty of use.
Bathrooms
Most of the bathrooms we encountered were porta-potties, but we found indoor bathrooms near the COTALAND entrance and behind Turn 14. Those were very nice to have, and I never waited more than five minutes.
One frustrating thing: the handwashing stations at the porta-potties we used had no water on Saturday or Sunday. Definitely bring hand sanitizer.
Following the race was easier than I expected
The Amex radios were great. Having the F1 TV commentary made a huge difference.
I’d read so much about how difficult it can be to follow a race in person, but between the radio and the two screens we could see from Turn 12, I didn’t find that to be an issue.
The support paddock is seriously underrated
If you’ve been to IMSA races or other series, you know how much paddock access can add to the experience. I loved having a bit of that here.
When I visited the Porsche paddock, hardly anyone was around. It was a great break from the crowds, and I got to see the Porsche race cars and historic cars up close.
I also lucked into seeing the MotoGP bikes getting ready to head onto the track. Watching them fire up the bikes, do the final checks, and head out from the paddock was amazing.
Bonus: the support paddock had the cleanest and least busy porta-potties I found all weekend.
I’d also recommend checking out the tunnels past Turn 12 as an alternative to the bridge across the track. When we used them, they were much less crowded, and the route took us right past the support paddock.
The tower: go early
On Friday, I lined up at 11:30, about an hour before the tower opened figuring that might be the shortest wait all weekend. I knew I wanted to go up and figured waiting before opening might be my best shot at avoiding a longer line later.
For me, this worked out perfectly. I was first up, right as the F1 cars were hitting the track. We were told we’d get 15 minutes, but we lucked out and got about 35. I also met Juan Pablo Montoya up there. Seeing F1 cars on track from the tower was just so fucking epic. One of the highlights of the entire weekend.
Staying in East Austin
Cannot recommend East Austin enough. Our neighborhood was SO quiet, but we were still close to downtown, with coffee shops and restaurants a block away. There was also a great stretch of breweries, restaurants, and shops about a 10 minute walk away.
We rented a car for Thursday and again for our last day, Monday, which was nice for exploring Austin. Friday through Sunday, we were at the track all day, so Ubering to the downtown shuttle worked really well.
Food and crowds
I brought snacks, which helped keep my track food spending to around $50 total for the weekend. Yes, the food was expensive, but the quesadilla I had was honestly pretty good.The Grand Plaza did get packed between sessions, so keep that in mind when moving around. Cotaland was a great place to go sit to eat and it seemed to kind of not be well known.
Would I go back? Absolutely.
I know other people had frustrating experiences, and I’m not trying to dismiss those. We got lucky with the weather, our seats worked really well for the shuttles, and leaving early a few laps early on sunday clearly helped. Reading everyone’s cautionary tales also meant I arrived pretty prepared and knew what to expect.
But for anyone nervously planning their first trip: it absolutely can be an easy, incredibly fun weekend. Ours was.
I haven’t broken down the full cost here, but for what we got, it felt worth the money. We had such a good time, and I’m already thinking about going back.
Happy to answer questions or chat if anyone’s planning their first COTA trip!