US Grand Prix attendees leave COTA hoping for safer and more accessible infrastructure

The 2024 US Grand Prix came to a close in spectacular fashion on Sunday afternoon, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking a commanding victory at Circuit of the Americas. Fans at the track praised the racing — but many left the track hoping for better infrastructure in the future.

Long, cramped lines, a lack of water, packed bathroom facilities, and middling security efforts saw many fans leave the US Grand Prix hoping for a more comfortable experience in the future.

2024 US Grand Prix: Room for evolution

For the 12th time in its history, Circuit of the Americas hosted the United States Grand Prix this past weekend, and while fans praised the impeccable racing action, many left the track hoping for an easier, more comfortable experience in the future.

PlanetF1.com spoke to 15 different fans about their experience at this particular event. Four of those fans had grandstand seating, while the remaining 11 had camped out in one of the circuit’s General Admission zones. While every fan universally enjoyed the racing action, all left the track with constructive criticism.

My husband, Chris, was one such fan; though he only attended free practice and sprint qualifying on Friday, he was keen to share his overall impressions of the event. His primary takeaway was that the event was “pretty much what I’d expect from any major sporting event,” but that he was concerned about how that would translate into a full weekend experience.

“If it’s this crazy today, I’m kinda glad I didn’t get a ticket for Sunday,” he said.

He and several other fans raised concerns in thre primary areas: Safety, basic amenities, and what I’m categorizing as organizational concerns. I’m going to run through each area here.

US Grand Prix: Safety and security

Of all the concerns fans had with the track, physical safety was the main issue that was brought up time and again.

“All three days, my bag was barely glanced at, even after setting off the metal detector,” a fan named Jennifer told me. “Other folks I knew didn’t even have their tickets checked.

“That is honestly unacceptable, particularly in Texas; I really do believe someone could have brought weapons into the track and they would not have been found because the security was so incredibly lax.”

This lax security perhaps played into the premature track invasion on Sunday after the race, for which COTA was fined 500,000 euros.

A fan named Steph raised concerns about safety as a wheelchair user. The packed track on Sunday was “terrifying” for her to navigate, leaving her feeling claustrophobic and trapped.

“I knew it was going to be crazy, but I’ve never had so many people run into me or ignore me at an event before,” she said of her first Grand Prix. “I also didn’t realize that my seat [at Turn 15] only had a ramp up to the top of the stands, and not an elevator. That’s my bad for not looking into it, I guess, but it was still pretty scary having to get all the way up there.”

Adding into her frustrations, Steph found it difficult to secure ADA golf cart rides, or to find track security personnel willing to provide her assistance when needed.

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US Grand Prix: Basic amenities

At any race track, I categorize basic amenities as the availability of food, water, bathrooms, and shade. All four areas were lacking.

Due to the nature of the track, COTA doesn’t contain much natural shade. A fan named David who has attended Grands Prix and other racing events around the world pointed out that there is a distinct lack of wooded areas, such as can be found at “Spa, Monza, Mid-Ohio, and Virginia International Raceway.”

The natural shade in the area was razed in order to construct the Circuit of the Americas, and the track has since suffered from a lack of reprieve. A small grove of trees in the main fan zone is generally packed with fans, and while the track has done a better job of erecting large tented food and drink areas, those also fill up quickly.

“There is no space for people to find lines or booths,” Jennifer told me, referring to the large tented food hall in the main fan zone. This hall features several food booths as well as a large amount of tables. However, this area quickly filled with fans looking to step out of the Texas sun for a few moments — creating ample confusion.

Jennifer noted that the lines for the food booths quickly blocked off all of the walking paths in the area, then compared the experience to a different track: “Silverstone doesn’t have this issue because all of the food booths are spread out and back from walkways.”

My husband Chris, too, was unimpressed. By noon on Friday, the concession lines were so long that he decided against having any lunch — and after having what he described as “the worst hot dog of my life” earlier in the day, he wasn’t keen on trying something else, especially after paying $37 for a hot dog and a beer.

Water also presented a huge issue. An attendee told me that, in 2021, the track ran out of bottled water extremely early on race day. Several fans this year told me that the water refilling stations had been emptied well before the start of the race, and that the long, confusing concessions lines dissuaded them from trying to buy water elsewhere.

Restroom availability also raised issues. COTA has a handful of permanent bathroom facilities that are supplemented by large swaths of portable toilets. On Friday, my husband reported that many of the Turn 15 toilets were out of order or had broken stall locks, while Jennifer added that the track would have benefitted from more clusters of portable toilets around Turn 19. Further, hand-washing and sanitizing stations were both emptied by 10am on race day morning.

US Grand Prix: Organizational and infrastructural concerns

As Jennifer mentioned above, COTA’s popularity seems to have outgrown its facilities.

The track is currently under ample construction, as a new rollercoaster and theme park are being installed. This closed off traditional walkways around Turn 20, funneling fans through a series of pedestrian bridges in the infield.

A fan who wished to remain anonymous told me that, while they enjoyed the event, the pedestrian bridges were a real sticking point. They suggested making the bridges three lanes wide, with the middle lane alternating directions based on demand.

David added, too, that congestion behind the Turn 15 grandstand was deeply uncomfortable and also likely led to pedestrian bridge issues. I paid a visit to David on Friday, and even then, it took over 15 minutes for me to cross a bridge that was only the width of the track due to congestion.

Other fans raised concerns with the length of time it took for shuttles to arrive to the Uber drop-off zone and the lack of sidewalks or other infrastructure leading to parking lots. COTA’s bespoke app was slow to load, failed to include up-to-date information about driver appearances, and also directed fans to take walking paths that either no longer existed or were closed off during Formula 1 weekend.

While there is certainly room for improvement at the track, I do want to note that every fan made a point of expressing just how much they enjoyed the weekend despite their concerns. One fan, Jim, who has been attending the US Grand Prix at COTA since its first running in 2012 told me that while there are still ways to grow, the track has improved every year.

“This feels like an important event now, which it should, because it’s F1,” he told me. “Sure, it was nice back when it felt like a little club race, but now it’s something to get excited about. It’s nicer every year. More to do.

“I’ve got my feedback, sure, but that’s not stopping me from showing up.”

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