This weekend, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will host Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix for the fifth year in a row. Leading up to the race, all eyes are on Mercedes-AMG Petronas and their star driver, Lewis Hamilton. Both the Driver championship and Constructor championship could be decided at this single event, making this race a critical one for all teams involved.
Should Hamilton claim victory and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel trail in sixth place or worse, Hamilton will earn his fourth Driver Championship — tying Vettel’s record. For second-place Ferrari to pull out a Constructor championship this season (thereby recovering from its 145-point deficit and ending Mercedes-AMG’s three-year run), it will take a little magic and a whole lot of mistakes on behalf of its German rival. Any way you look at it, this year’s U.S. Grand Prix won’t be one to miss.
Whether you plan to watch the race at home or in person, chances are, you’ve embraced the spectator role. There are certainly worse sports to view from the sidelines (care for a dose of professional fishing?), but what if you could get more involved in F1?
We can’t toss you the keys to a million-dollar Formula One car, but we can point you in the direction of a driving experience on the U.S. Grand Prix circuit — complete with rip-roaring sports cars.
Audi’s Driving Experience puts you behind the wheel of its hottest models to improve your car control, finesse, and technique while lapping the Circuit of the Americas. You can learn the basics with just a few hours of hands-on training or opt for a more immersive regimen in the automaker’s flagship R8 V10 Plus supercar. Either way, you’re guaranteed a new appreciation for what pro drivers face each time they suit up.
Audi offers four driving experience tiers (starting at $595) that begin with the fundamentals of quick decision-making behind the wheel, proper seating position, and vehicle behavior. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive RS3, TT-RS, and R8 V10 Plus offer the perfect mix of predictability and dynamics.
Who knows, this might be the first step in your path to becoming a pro driver … or it’s just a really badass way to spend a day or two. After all, no one wants to be a spectator forever. For more information on times and pricing, head here.