United States Grand Prix 2026. Texas hill country, a hundred thousand people, one road in.
Austin on 23 to 25 October. The circuit is ten minutes from the airport and an hour from it on race day. Everything about this weekend is decided by when you leave and which way you come back.
The weekend
Austin 2026 at a glance
- DatesFriday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026Practice on the Friday, qualifying on the Saturday and the race on Sunday afternoon, with concerts on the site after the track action each evening.
- WhereCircuit of the Americas, ElroyA purpose-built circuit in the hills south east of Austin, roughly 13 km from the international airport and about 24 km from downtown.
- Arrive viaAustin-Bergstrom (AUS) or Austin Executive (EDC)Bergstrom is closest to the circuit. Austin Executive is a dedicated general aviation field north east of the city, around 20 to 30 minutes from the circuit on quiet roads.
- From LondonAbout 10 to 11 hours by private jetAn ultra long range aircraft does it nonstop. Almost everything else needs a technical stop on the way west.
Dates as published by the circuit and on the Formula 1 calendar. We review this page each year.
The reality
Ten minutes from the airport, and an hour on Sunday
The Circuit of the Americas is genuinely close to Austin. On a Tuesday in March it is a ten minute run from the international airport and twenty five from downtown. On race weekend it is a purpose-built venue in what is otherwise farmland, fed by a small number of county roads off the SH 130 toll road, absorbing something like a hundred thousand people a day. The distance never changes and the time always does.
What works is unglamorous. Leave early, use the toll road rather than the direct-looking route through south east Austin, and agree a collection point with your driver that is not the one the signage sends everybody to. The circuit runs its own shuttles from downtown and from the Travis County Expo Center, which are genuinely useful for a large group, and a car that waits at a sensible distance is better than a car that tries to sit at the gate. After the race, the concert keeps a good part of the crowd on site for a couple of hours, which is the single easiest way to avoid the worst of the exit.
Journey times
To the circuit on race weekend
| From | Quiet roads | Race weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Bergstrom (AUS) to the circuit | 10 to 20 minutes | 40 to 90 minutes |
| Austin Executive (EDC) to the circuit | 25 to 35 minutes | 50 to 100 minutes |
| Downtown Austin hotels to the circuit | 25 to 35 minutes | 50 minutes to 2 hours |
| South Congress and Zilker to the circuit | 25 to 35 minutes | 50 minutes to 2 hours |
| Austin-Bergstrom (AUS) to downtown hotels | 15 to 25 minutes | 25 to 50 minutes |
| Circuit to downtown after the race | 25 to 35 minutes | Allow 2 hours, or stay for the concert |
Realistic ranges, not promises. Almost all of the variation is in the last few miles of county road, not in the drive across the city.
Arriving by air
Two fields, and a parking problem
Austin-Bergstrom is the international airport and is the closest field to the circuit by a comfortable margin. Austin Executive, north east of the city near Pflugerville, is dedicated general aviation and is the quieter arrival, at the cost of a longer drive round the eastern side of town. Both fill up for the Grand Prix. The constraint at an American race weekend is almost never the runway; it is stands, slots and the departure peak on the Sunday night and Monday morning, when several hundred aircraft want to leave the same city.
The honest expectation for many aircraft is that they drop passengers and reposition, often to San Antonio, Houston or Dallas, then return for the departure. Ask your operator about parking, the arrival slot and the departure slot at the same time as you ask about the aircraft. San Antonio is about ninety minutes away by road if the answer for you turns out to be a different city. See private jet charter, ultra long range jets and private jet transfers.
What clients usually book
The shape of an Austin weekend
- A car and the same driver for all three days, released to wait rather than dismissed between sessions
- A flight out on the Wednesday or Thursday and back on the Monday, avoiding the Sunday night departure crush
- A driver held from mid afternoon on the Sunday, on the basis that you may stay for the concert
- Two or three vehicles for a corporate group, all leaving together from an agreed point
- Dinner downtown, on South Congress or in the hill country afterwards, with the car waiting
- A few days added in New York, Miami or Los Angeles, which is what makes a transatlantic charter worth it
Planning it well
Things worth knowing
- The circuit has significant elevation change and the walk from most parking to most grandstands is long and largely unshaded
- Late October in central Texas is warm rather than hot, but it can also rain hard and the outer car parks are on grass
- Austin fills completely for the weekend. Downtown hotel rooms and the good restaurant tables go months ahead, and rates rise sharply
- The concerts after each day's running are a genuine part of the ticket and they change the shape of the evening exit
- The Sunday night and Monday morning departure peak at both airports is the tightest part of the weekend. Settle the slot early
Around the weekend
Related pages
Getting there
The rest of the trip
Start planning
Tell us your weekend
How many of you are travelling, which days, whether the aircraft needs to stay in Austin, and whether you are adding New York, Miami or the west coast. We will come back with a plan for the whole trip, London end included. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Austin travel
Which airport should we use?
Austin-Bergstrom is closest to the circuit. Austin Executive is the dedicated general aviation field and is quieter, at the cost of a longer drive. Parking availability usually settles it rather than distance.
Can the aircraft stay for the weekend?
Often not. Stands are finite and the demand is concentrated into two arrival days and one departure evening. Many aircraft drop passengers and reposition to San Antonio, Houston or Dallas before returning.
How bad is the traffic really?
Bad in the last few miles and fine everywhere else. The drive across Austin does not change much; the county roads into the circuit do. Leaving early and agreeing a collection point away from the main flow solves most of it.
Are these your own cars in Texas?
Our own cars and chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. In the United States cars are arranged through operators we know, and we stay responsible for the itinerary.
Should we stay for the concert?
If you have no flight to catch, yes, and it also happens to be the easiest way to miss the worst of the exit. If you do have a flight, leave before the flag rather than after it.
Are you an official partner of the United States Grand Prix?
No. We are an independent company arranging travel to and from the event.
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