Austin GP Promoter Confirms Ticket Surge As Headline Artists Revealed

Saajan Jogia | Oct 3, 2024

Oct 22, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris (4) of Team Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Lewis Hamilton (44) of Team Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz (55) of Team Spain drives during the 2023 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Organizers of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin have revealed the plan for the upcoming race weekend, with Eminem's concert on Saturday and a football match between popular college football teams Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs. The event, followed by the increase in the sport's competitiveness, is expected to attract a huge audience for the race weekend.

Race promoter Bobby Epstein has revealed that ticket sales shot up significantly after Max Verstappen stopped winning races this season. The end of his winning streak marked the conclusion of Red Bull's dominance in the ground effect era that began in 2022. His last win was towards the end of June in Spain. Epstein told the media:

"I think it would have been our weakest year in four, since the pandemic.

"Our ticket sales really took off when Max stopped winning and it got more competitive. So, I give a lot of credit to our fan base and the audience, they're paying attention and I think it's exciting to see the season shape up the way it is.

"We're expecting another big crowd, probably somewhere around where it's been the last couple years. I would think whatever the record is for a Saturday sprint race, we should shatter that record, because Eminem has outsold Taylor Swift [who performed at the 2016 edition], and we've increased the size of the infield lawn to get to near 100,000 for the concert. So, I think 130,000 to 150,000 people will be there for the Saturday sprint race."

The addition of a Saturday night showdown between the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs, two top-ranked college football teams is expected to attract another 100,000 fans to DKR Texas Memorial Stadium, which presents a unique opportunity for COTA. As a result, Epstein has introduced a Friday-Sunday combo ticket tailored for football fans attending the game. He added:

"We have wound up on the same weekend as college football games before, which makes for a fun downtown late night, but I don't think we've had it where the Longhorns have been ranked as high," Epstein said. "There are going to be a lot of people in town for that.

"I think it's a chance, two-fold. One for the college football fan who likes sports and likes big events. If that's your vernacular, then you're going to like to make your weekend even bigger by adding on F1 on Sunday.

"It's a great opportunity for those fans, and then also for our fans who come for F1. I know the Europeans are particularly fond of college football, and in particular the halftime show. It's surprising, but we have groups from Europe that come when there is a college football game, because it adds to their weekend and just elevates the experience overall.

"The football package is just something fun. We came up with it a couple weeks ago because Saturday was selling out, largely because of Eminem, and we still have capacity on Sunday and Friday. So, we just said, let's throw it out there for people that just [attend the football game]. I think most of the hotels are three or four night minimums, so if you're a Georgia fan coming in for it and you say : 'What else am I gonna do the rest of the weekend?' Well, you can buy Friday and Sunday and come out to the track."

He also shared an adventurous plan from some fans who were aiming to attend both the game and the concert, even though the game's timing has yet to be announced. Epstein said:

"If the game time kick-off is in the evening, then you can go to Eminem for an hour and something and then make the second half of the football game, which we know some people are planning on doing.

"The shuttle stop for our downtown bus route is very near the stadium, so I know there's plenty of people planning to go to the concert and go to the second half of the football game."