From the electric atmosphere and epic concerts to celebrity sightings, over-the-top hospitality, great food and plenty of off-track parties, the Austin F1 race is one of the biggest events in Texas. Whether you’re a die-hard F1 fan or just here for the experience, these are some of the best things about the Austin F1 race.

5 Of The Best Things About The Austin F1 Race

1 – It’s Totally Texas

Everything’s bigger in Texas, and the USGP is no exception. The Texas touches are everywhere around Circuit of The Americas. One of our favorite experiences at the 2025 race was Tecovas’ boot branding station. The Austin-based boot brand was celebrating its 10th anniversary and let racegoers add some Texas flair to their boots with free, limited-edition branding stamps that were only available at the track. It was the perfect mix of F1, Austin and Texas – basically everything we love about race weekend.

Other Lone Star State tie-ins included Travel Texas booths in the Grand Plaza highlighting towns around Texas. The Bandera booth brought the live music, El Paso served up free agua fresca, Bastrop had a rocking-horse photo op, and Visit Georgetown was handing out swag that included can coolers made specifically for those tall boys.

And it was Uber that threw the most Texas sized party of the weekend. The One Party By Uber treated Uber One members to a special performance by GRAMMY Award-winning group Zac Brown Band with multiple celebrities in attendance. If you want to be on top of all the best F1 events happening in Austin, be sure to follow @theF1vip on Instagram.

2 – New Tech at the Track

Technology is making the F1 experience faster, smarter and, honestly, a whole lot cooler. One of the coolest things we spotted at Circuit of The Americas was Just Walk Out technology at the Grab & Go stations. Just tap your credit card when you walk in, grab what you want and walk right out — no checkout line, no fumbling with your wallet and no waiting around while your friends decide what snack they want. The system charges you automatically for what you take.

Speaking of new things, there’s now an entire theme park out at the track – including The Circuit Breaker! The ride lifts passengers up 130 feet before tilting 90 degrees at the top, pausing and then dropping them straight down. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli gave it a spin and gave viewers a first hand account of what it’s like!

Learn more about COTAland here.

3 – The Merch Is So Austin

There’s no shortage of merch options at USGP week. Daniel Ricciardo in known to bring his Enchante Garage back to the ATX, as did Lewis Hamilton with his +44 / Plus Four Four line. Monster Energy presented a pop-up with Lando Norris on South Congress, while, just up the street, the F1 Hub catered to thousands of fans throughout the week.

But it’s the Pacsun line we love the most. While a jacket at the F1 Hub would run you about $250 to $300, those offered by Pacsun are in the $125 to $150 range.

4 – Pit Stops, Parties and Pop-Ups

Honestly, the parties can sometimes be just as exciting as the action on the track. Austin goes all-in for F1 weekend, and the party circuit is packed with everything from celebrity-filled events to exclusive driver appearances and more. In past years, we’ve hit events hosted by TAG Heuer, Glenfiddich, Jack Daniel’s, Sports Illustrated and more. Each delivered intimate experiences with live music, driver appearances, exclusive merchandise, celebrity sightings and more! Keep an eye on this page for a complete list of all the best pop-ups and parties.

5 – Celebrity Sightings

As mentioned, you can always count on F1 weekend to catch the stars shining bright deep in the heart of Texas. Celebrity appearances in past years have included Matthew McConaughey, Joe Rogan, Glen Powell, Adele, Jay Leno, The Hunting Wives stars Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow, Chase Crawford and more. See a full list here.

If you are interested in attending the race, see what tickets are still available here.