Five reasons to be excited about Austin

We are waving goodbye to Asia and heading stateside for the 2022 US Grand Prix, and we couldn't be more excited. Aside from spending our weekend at the simply brilliant Circuit of the Americas, the USGP also means we have the best part of a week in amazing Austin.

The Texan capital is up there as one of the best locations F1 stops at on its annual world trip. As we prepare for our 10th visit, here are five reasons to be excited about Austin.

The last time an American raced in Formula One came back in 2015, and it's fair to say the nation's interest in F1 has risen a little since then. 

Our American Williams Academy driver Logan Sargeant will get his first taste of an F1 weekend at COTA on Friday to kick-start the Grand Prix weekend in front of a home crowd.

Logan will drive the same FW44 that scored points in Japan during FP1, taking Nicky’s place for an hour's running on Friday afternoon.

There'll be a host of other fresh faces during the session as other teams welcome debutants, but Logan will be the only home-grown lead F2 rookie on the 5.514km circuit for the American fans to cheer on.

Here's something you haven't seen before – 44 lucky fans will be on track at Austin all weekend. Well, sort of.

The winners of our competition to have their names featured on the FW44 will see Alex, Nicky, and Logan all tackle COTA with some special support.

Keep an eye out for our livery at Austin to see if your name is one of the 44 names to make a Grand Prix debut.

If it is, we guarantee there won't be anyone you know on Monday who will answer "What did you get up to this weekend" quite like you will.

Our ever-popular experience will be in Austin for its fifth appearance of the 2022 season with everything fans have come to love, plus even more big-name guest attendees.

After thrilling visitors in Miami, Montreal, London, and Singapore already this year, we're ecstatic to bring the pop-up store to an Austin atmosphere we've fallen in love with since 2012.

Join us at 800 Congress from Wednesday until Sunday, where we'll have guest appearances from Alex, Logan, and Nicky, plus Jost Capito, Jenson Button, Claire Holt, and DJ Cassidy for you to get autographs and selfies.

The store will feature the FW44 show car, our Esports rigs, location-specific merchandise, giveaways, and so much more, including a special show car.

If you’re coming to visit us, make sure you’ve downloaded your very own Driver Card to enhance your in-store experience.

There can't be many places in the world with more going on in October than Austin, with the US Grand Prix and the Austin City Limits festival keeping residents entertained throughout the month.

On Friday, we are combining the best of both at the Austin City Limits Moody Theatre, where DJ Cassidy will host his hugely-popular series, Pass the Mic, in front of F1 fans and music lovers alike.

Those attending will hear the hit songs of Robin Thicke, Wyclef Jean, and Shaggy sung by the artists themselves as they pass the microphone between them on what will be an unforgettable night.

With everything else going on, we can't forget that there's a race on Sunday. COTA will hold its 10th US Grand Prix in front of a sellout crowd.

The sport's explosion in popularity in the USA means this is our second American trip in 2022 after our memorable Miami weekend. The capacity crowd shows how insatiable the F1 appetite is in the States right now.

The Circuit of the Americas laid much of the groundwork for that popularity, way before a certain Netflix show's success, with a brilliant circuit. COTA is an amalgamation of some of the best corners from world-famous tracks and has become greater than the sum of its parts.

Our previous race in the USA had Alex walk away with two points for P9 in Miami, and Nicky bagged a P9 and two points last time out. So, could another top-10 finish be up for grabs in Austin?

Check the website and our official app from 2PM local time on Friday to stay up to date.