Organisers of Austin's United States Grand Prix say ticket sales swung upwards in recent weeks as the 2024 Formula 1 season became more competitive, and they are banking on a rare crossover of F1 and college football to draw in new fans.
Since its inception in 2012, Austin's race at the Circuit of the Americas has grown into one of the best attended events on the calendar, with its mix of racing and concerts enjoying a post-pandemic bounce amid F1's new-found popularity in North America.
COTA is confident of another strong attendance this year, and between hosting a sprint race and an Eminem concert it is expecting a record number of people to attend on Saturday. But the race's promoter Bobby Epstein admitted overall sales for COTA's 13th running of its Formula 1 race were looking soft until recently, right about until Max Verstappen and Red Bull stopped dominating the 2024 season and teams like McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari all started taking turns at the front.
"I think it would have been our weakest year in four, since the pandemic," he explained. "Our ticket sales really took off when Max stopped winning and it got more competitive. So, I give a lot of credit to our fan base and the audience, they're paying attention and I think it's exciting to see the season shape up the way it is.
"We're expecting another big crowd, probably somewhere around where it's been the last couple years. I would think whatever the record is for a Saturday sprint race, we should shatter that record, because Eminem has outsold Taylor Swift [who performed at the 2016 edition], and we've increased the size of the infield lawn to get to near 100,000 for the concert. So, I think 130,000 to 150,000 people will be there for the Saturday sprint race."
Adding to Austin's typical grand prix weekend buzz this year is a Saturday night clash between the local Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs, a heavyweight match-up between two top-ranked college football teams in the country that is set to draw another 100,000 fans to the DKR Texas Memorial Stadium just north of downtown Austin.
For COTA president Bobby Epstein, the game was an opportunity to tap into a brand-new subset of potential fans, selling a Friday-Sunday combo ticket that fits around football fans attending the game on Saturday.
"We have wound up on the same weekend as college football games before, which makes for a fun downtown late night, but I don't think we've had it where the Longhorns have been ranked as high," Epstein said. "There are going to be a lot of people in town for that.
"I think it's a chance, two-fold. One for the college football fan who likes sports and likes big events. If that's your vernacular, then you're going to like to make your weekend even bigger by adding on F1 on Sunday.
"It's a great opportunity for those fans, and then also for our fans who come for F1. I know the Europeans are particularly fond of college football, and in particular the halftime show. It's surprising, but we have groups from Europe that come when there is a college football game, because it adds to their weekend and just elevates the experience overall.
"The football package is just something fun. We came up with it a couple weeks ago because Saturday was selling out, largely because of Eminem, and we still have capacity on Sunday and Friday. So, we just said, let's throw it out there for people that just [attend the football game]. I think most of the hotels are three or four night minimums, so if you're a Georgia fan coming in for it and you say : 'What else am I gonna do the rest of the weekend?' Well, you can buy Friday and Sunday and come out to the track."
Epstein says some fans are even hatching an ambitious plan to catch both COTA's Eminem concert on Saturday night and the football game, depending on the game's start time which has yet to be announced.
"If the game time kick-off is in the evening, then you can go to Eminem for an hour and something and then make the second half of the football game, which we know some people are planning on doing," he said.
"The shuttle stop for our downtown bus route is very near the stadium, so I know there's plenty of people planning to go to the concert and go to the second half of the football game."
Epstein doesn't believe Las Vegas' arrival last year as the third grand prix in the country has had a significant impact on ticket sales.
"It's probably a wash in terms of our attendance," he pointed out. "It brings some more attention to the sport, and then it competes for ticket sales to some extent, but not so much, because they're so uniquely different events and with the timing of that race, it's tough.
"I like it, because it's a spectacle and it builds the sport globally. I think Miami does more for building the US audience because of the time that it's on, but I love the spectacle of the Vegas race and I hope more people watch it. I don't think it's had a big impact on Austin."
