Qualla: Circuit of the Americas https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:03 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/circuit-america-s-pano.jpg Qualla: Circuit of the Americas https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas Circuit of the Americas: Introduction https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas/ Photo credit Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0. Red McCombs wanted to call it "Speed City." The site was supposed to be a residential subdivision called Wandering Creek. Instead, the rolling Texas terrain southeast of Austin became something far more consequential: the first circuit in the United States purpose-built for Formula One. When Mario Andretti ran the ceremonial first laps on October 21, 2012, piloting the same Lotus 79 he drove to the World Drivers' Championship in 1978, the Circuit of the Americas completed a journey from vacant ranch land to global motorsport stage in just two years of construction -- and survived enough drama along the way to rival any race.

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Image: Larry D. Moore | CC BY 4.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/9v6e-circuit-of-the-americas-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Circuit of the Americas: A Greatest Hits of Tarmac https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas/ Photo credit ligreq, CC BY 2.0. The circuit's layout reads like a love letter to European racing heritage, conceived by Austin promoter Tavo Hellmund and 1993 Motorcycle World Champion Kevin Schwantz, then refined by the prolific German circuit designer Hermann Tilke. From the start line, drivers climb a brutal...

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Image: ligreq | CC BY 2.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/9v6e-circuit-of-the-americas-a-greatest-hits-of-tarmac.mp3 0:06 2 full Circuit of the Americas: Teetering on the Edge https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas/ Photo credit Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0. The path from announcement to opening day was anything but smooth. Construction began December 31, 2010, on undeveloped land in Travis County, but by late 2011 the project nearly collapsed. Promoter Tavo Hellmund admitted his company had been in breach of contract with Formula On...

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Image: Morio | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/9v6e-circuit-of-the-americas-teetering-on-the-edge.mp3 0:06 3 full Circuit of the Americas: The Roar of the Crowd https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas/ Photo credit Earl McGehee, CC BY-SA 3.0. The gamble paid off spectacularly. Some 117,429 spectators packed the circuit for the November 2012 United States Grand Prix, ending a four-year absence of Formula One racing in America. A decade later, the Netflix series Drive to Survive had supercharged American interest in the...

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Image: Earl McGehee | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/9v6e-circuit-of-the-americas-the-roar-of-the-crowd.mp3 0:06 4 full Circuit of the Americas: More Than a Racetrack https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas/ Photo credit Randall Chancellor, CC BY-SA 2.0. Eighteen bright red steel tubes rise nearly the full height of COTA's observation tower, veiling a double-helix staircase of 419 stairs that climbs to a platform offering 360-degree views of the circuit and the Austin skyline beyond. The tower, designed by Austin-based Miro River...

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Image: Randall Chancellor | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/9v6e-circuit-of-the-americas-more-than-a-racetrack.mp3 0:06 5 full Circuit of the Americas: Eyes on Austin https://qualla.com/circuit-of-the-americas/ Photo credit pedrik, CC BY 2.0. From a few thousand feet up, the Circuit of the Americas reveals its full geometry -- twenty turns etched into the Texas hill country, the sinuous counter-clockwise layout unmistakable against the tan and green landscape of southeastern Travis County. The observation tower's red ...

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Image: pedrik | CC BY 2.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/6/e/circuit-of-the-americas-wp/9v6e-circuit-of-the-americas-eyes-on-austin.mp3 0:06 6 full