Formula 1 weekend in Austin Texas is a fun event to attend. You combine the great food, music, and local hospitality, with the glamor and excitement of the F1 grand prix. The downtown area was blocked off for Fan Fest with multitude of music stages, vendors, and food. The Circuit of the Americas race track is a world class facility. It has a picturesque design with big elevation changes and blind turns to challenge the best of drivers.
The racing weekend also showcased practice, qualifying, and races from the Ferrari Challenge and Vintage classes. Ferrari Challenge is composed of Ferrari 458 Italia spec race cars and is highly competitive. It’s refreshing to see these Ferrari racers trading paint and pushing each other around.
It was an unseasonably hot November 17th at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin TX. The winds calmed down from the day before and the mostly clear skies warmed the ambient temperature to 88F. The hills, bleachers, and grand stand were packed with eager fans, and the 2013 US Grand Prix kicked off.
Sebastian Vettel from team RedBull was once again in a class of his own, as he won the race unchallenged from pole position. It was interesting to see Vettel’s racing line through Turn 11. He was clearly going wider than most drivers, using the outside curb. Fernando Alonso of team Ferrari was one of the only other drivers to use the same line.
I learned that it’s good to get to the race track early and that the bleachers are not the best place to watch the race. The stadium-style seats in the grand stand are much better.
Check out this montage of some of the action from the 2013 US Grand Prix:
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFL since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or simply ‘going for a drive’.
