Before Miami or Las Vegas, the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, was the only race in the U.S. for Formula 1. And it has quite the history! The iconic Circuit of the Americas track was purposefully built for the sport and has become a quick favorite amongst drivers and fans alike thanks to its stunning turns that were inspired by the likes of the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom and Bahrain’s International Circuit and spacing that allows for fun overturns and racing to happen at all parts of the circuit. (Try overtaking during a street race, we dare you!) But as a person who has experienced several races in her lifetime, the vibes of Austin stood out to me as the iconic venue brought the sport back to the Lone Star State once again for another incredible race that sets itself apart by being clear that it’s made by the fans and for the fans.
And the mood was only elevated by the introduction of some brand-new teams in the circuit including the Audi Revolut F1 Team. In a surprise twist, this year they were also joined by F1 Academy after a schedule change moved one of their planned three-race weekends over to Austin. Which also meant that for the first time, second-year driver Emma Felbermayr would be experiencing the track for herself.
And as someone who was heading to the United States Grand Prix weekend for the first time alongside Audi, it felt like fate that we were going to have this new adventure together! To get the epic Audi experience, the team invited us out to the 2026 United States Grand Prix to see race weekend up close. And in true Texas fashion, we got to see firsthand the real meaning of Southern hospitality.
Get ready to find out how Audi is not only bringing a new kind of venture to Austin, but also how Emma got ready for an unexpected weekend in the Lone Star State. (P.S. The writer received free stays, meals, and experiences in order to write this story.) I was determined to finally get to witness an entire full race weekend for the first time (third time is the charm, after all), so I traveled out the day before so I wouldn’t have to miss a single second. Ironically, this has also been part of Emma’s plan for success this year.
Last year I was still in school. I always arrived the day before in the evening and went back on Sunday,” she revealed to Cosmopolitan after her final race of the weekend. But also the most important is getting used to the time zone.” In a special surprise, Audi allowed me to bring a +1 and so I brought my dad out for his first official race.
We hadn’t even made it to the track yet when he let out his first, “Oh my god,” as we were greeted by an Audi representative and were shuffled into a brand-new 2027 Audi Q9, our vehicle for the weekend. Our driver, Cody, let us know that the vehicle only had 18 miles on it before he picked it up, meaning we were truly one of the first to step into it. Unfortunately, since we got in a bit late, we couldn’t really follow in Emma’s footsteps and take in the sights.
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