For spectators and TV viewers tuning into coverage of F1's US Grand Prix, it's been hard to miss. Turn 1 of the Circuit of the Americas has a distinctly different look to it this year with the addition of a mammoth multi-storey clubhouse. Connected to the main paddock area via a cable car that crosses the track, this weekend the new hospitality structure serves as an extension of F1's swanky Paddock Club. From January 2 it becomes a year-round members-only club, dubbed 'The Circuit', as the venue turns private at the start of next year.
"It isn’t an annual membership in the traditional sense," says Parris Mullins, COTA’s Senior Vice President of Motorsports. It’s much more like a country club. There are annual dues to maintain the facilities and cover staffing, but the initiation fee is a one-time payment that essentially provides a lifetime membership.
