Circuit of the Americas

What you'll find

The Circuit of the Americas is the first circuit built in the United States specifically for Formula 1, and its design is openly a tribute: the first-sector esses quote Silverstone, the hairpin after the back straight recalls Hockenheim, and there are nods to Istanbul and Suzuka. What saves it from being a collage is the terrain: Austin has natural elevation unusual for the area, and COTA uses it with a climb to turn 1 that's unique on the calendar. In Assetto Corsa EVO it's a very rewarding circuit: wide, with run-off and with easy overtaking.

Turn 1 climbs blind and you brake on the crest, with the car light exactly when you need the brakes most. It's the place on the calendar where most is lost on the opening lap, because the correct line isn't visible until you're already in it.

The second sector is linked fast esses that demand rhythm and a car that's stable through direction changes. Then comes the long back straight, ending in a hairpin: that's where the easy overtake lives, and the easy mistake.

Sector by sector

How the lap unfolds from start to finish, with the lines and the places where time is genuinely won and lost.

How to set the car up

COTA wants a balanced car with no extremes. You need grip for the esses and the stadium section, but also top speed for the back straight, which is long and uphill. Most people end up in a middle ground similar to a standard European circuit.

La curva 1 condiciona el reglaje de frenada: al frenar en una cresta, el coche se descarga y bloquea con facilidad. Un reparto ligeramente atrasado ayuda, aunque penalice un poco en la horquilla de la 12.

Austin's asphalt has suffered bumps from ground settlement, so it's best not to run the car excessively stiff: in the sunken areas of sector 1 you lose grip exactly under load.

What almost everyone gets wrong

1. Frenar por la vista en la curva 1. The apex isn't visible until you're in it. You have to brake off a fixed reference; going by what you can see always leads to overshooting.
2. Romper el ritmo de las eses. They're taken as one sequence. Braking mid-way or correcting sharply costs more than entering the first one slightly slow.
3. Entrar pasado en la 12. The braking zone is huge and encourages you to go too deep. Overshooting here means losing the place you just gained.
4. Descuidar la salida de la 11. It's the one that feeds the back straight. Losing traction there is paid for down the whole straight and at the braking zone after it.
5. Running the car very stiff. The asphalt has sunken sections. The stiffness that works at a smooth circuit produces losses of grip under load here.

From the real circuit to Assetto Corsa EVO

Un circuito nuevo, escaneado desde el principio

COTA was built in 2012, in the middle of the laser-scanning era, so very precise survey data has existed since day one. In Assetto Corsa EVO that means the exact gradient on the climb to turn 1, which is where the circuit stakes its personality.

It also captures a real problem with the track: ground settlement has produced sunken sections that have been repaired over the years. The game reproducing those bumps changes the setup you should run.

What carries over well

The braking references at turns 1 and 12, the two that matter and both perfectly signposted. And the technique through the esses, which is purely geometric and works identically in both worlds.

COTA is also heavily used for driving schools, precisely because it's wide and safe, and sim preparation transfers well.

What doesn't carry over

The heat. Austin in summer comfortably passes 35 degrees, and that affects the driver, the tyres and the cooling in a way that doesn't exist at home. Many races here are decided by heat management.

And the scale. The climb to turn 1 is about an 11% gradient, and seeing it in person is considerably more striking than on screen.

Visitar Austin

COTA is a modern complex with a museum, an observation tower and a concert amphitheatre. It runs track days, driving schools and experiences in its own cars all year.

The big date is the United States Grand Prix in autumn, which combines racing and concerts and fills the city. It also hosts MotoGP and IMSA. [Confirm dates and tickets on the circuit's official website.]

Where it comes from

Opened in 2012 in Austin, it's the first circuit built in the United States specifically for Formula 1. It was designed by Hermann Tilke, using terrain with natural elevation unusual for the area.

As well as F1 it hosts MotoGP and IMSA, and its 11% climb to turn 1 quickly made it one of the modern circuits with the most personality.

Visiting the real circuit

COTA is about twenty minutes from downtown Austin and is a modern complex built with visitors in mind: an observation tower overlooking the whole layout, a museum and a concert amphitheatre inside the grounds.

It runs track days, driving schools and passenger experiences through almost the whole season. Being wide with generous run-off, it's one of the best circuits for a first experience on track.

The big date is the United States Grand Prix in autumn, which fills the city and combines sport and music. MotoGP and IMSA complete the international calendar. [Confirm dates and tickets on the circuit's official website.]

Frequently asked