Race week

Where can I see F1 drivers in Austin during race week?

The Congress Avenue cluster: two team hubs, one short walk

The two biggest downtown setups sit on the same street, a few blocks apart — you can do both in one wander, no car, no ticket.

• Williams Fan Zone — 800 Congress Ave. The Atlassian Williams F1 Team Fan Zone presented by Kraken, back for a fifth year. Free entry — but you must download the Williams app and register for a free Williams ID before you arrive, and have it ready in the app, especially for the live Q&A sessions. Hours (Central): Mon Oct 19 – Wed Oct 21, 11 AM – 7 PM; Thu Oct 22 – Sat Oct 24, 10 AM – 7 PM. Inside: a full-scale FW48 show car in its Marvel's Doomsday livery, COTA simulators, a Komatsu truck simulator, a reaction ring, a wind tunnel experience, and Austin-edition merchandise.
• Mercedes-AMG Fan Hub — 400 Congress Ave. Mercedes' official downtown takeover, Thu Oct 22 – Sun Oct 25, entirely free (hours now published by the team: Thursday–Friday 12:00–8:30 PM, Saturday 1:30–9:00 PM, Sunday 10:30 AM–7:00 PM; entry is free and first-come, subject to capacity — registering interest does not reserve a spot. Driver appearances at the hub are still unpublished). A pit-stop mechanic works on a real F1 car, plus simulators, the 2026 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS show car, historic memorabilia, a team store, and daily giveaways. Timed nicely: Mercedes arrives in Austin with Kimi Antonelli leading the championship and a first shot at clinching it on Sunday (see the homepage for the exact scenario).

The Williams Q&A schedule — the week's best free seats

These are confirmed live appearances, published by Williams (all times Central):

• Wednesday, October 21 — Alex Albon, 5:25 PM. A current F1 driver, on stage, free — get there early; this is the one that fills up.
• Thursday, October 22 — Luke Browning, 11:00 AM (Williams' F2 driver), then James Vowles, 6:00 PM — the team principal is a genuinely good interview; strategy nerds, this is your session.
• Friday, October 23 — Damon Hill, 10:00 AM. The 1996 world champion, Friday morning before practice starts at COTA — an easy double-header if you're heading to the track after.

Thursday at the Domain: Haas shows its Godzilla livery in person

TGR Haas F1 Team reveals its special Godzilla-themed livery online on Monday, October 19 — but the in-person fan event is Thursday, October 22, on the Domain NORTHSIDE Shopping Plaza Lawn, run with Apple TV. Joining fans, per Haas' official announcement: team principal Ayao Komatsu, drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, reserve driver Jack Doohan, and F1 Academy driver Kaylee Countryman. Haas hasn't published a start time for the reveal itself — check the team's channels race week. Admission works differently than a drop-in, per the event's official terms (checked October 20): entry is a free ballot, one entry per person, with winners notified by email on or around Wednesday October 21; fans who miss out may still be admitted first-come if capacity allows, but that is not guaranteed. The Godzilla livery itself is already public online — Thursday is about seeing the car in person, with the drivers there. The Godzilla fanwear collection is on sale from Monday.

Red Bull Race Nights — the evening option, Thu–Sun

Rivière Austin (Big Texas), 1501 E. 7th St — Thursday October 22 through Sunday October 25, 4:00–10:00 PM daily, free. A replica F1 garage, a pit-stop challenge, exclusive merchandise, food and cocktails, and drivers and surprise guests from Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls across the four nights (specific appearance times aren't published — it's a drop-in scene, not a scheduled Q&A). Per Red Bull's official event page (checked October 20, 2026): it's all-ages from 4 to 8 PM, then 18+ to enter after 8 PM.

Lando's Original Service Dept. — a pop-up shop, not a driver appearance

1500 San Jacinto Blvd, Wednesday October 21 – Sunday October 25 (Wed 12–7 PM; Thu–Sun 9 AM–7 PM). A 1970s service-station-themed retail pop-up from Lando Norris's LN4 brand: exclusive apparel, plus postcard and patch-making stations run with Google Gemini. Be clear-eyed about what it is: a shop with very good theming. No Norris appearance has been announced — go for the merch, not a sighting.

At the track: amphitheater forums and one autograph session

• F1 driver forums, Germania Amphitheater stage, Friday and Saturday mornings. Fan guides (GPDestinations) describe drivers and team principals appearing on the amphitheater stage both mornings — but COTA has not published the 2026 times or lineup as of October 19. Check the COTA app when you arrive; don't plan your morning around a time nobody has printed.
• Fanzone stage team interviews, at the track, Friday and Saturday. New on COTA's official schedule (checked October 20): ten-minute team interview slots on the Fanzone stage in the Grand Plaza. Friday: VCARB 10:10 AM, Audi 10:20, McLaren 10:30, Williams 10:40, Cadillac 10:50, Aston Martin 11:00 — plus named slots for Zak (McLaren) at 2:30 PM, Ayao (Haas) at 3:00 PM, and Marcin (Cadillac) at 3:10 PM. Saturday: Ferrari 10:20 AM, Haas 10:30, Red Bull 10:40, Alpine 10:50, Mercedes 11:00, F1 Academy 11:10, and Mario Andretti on the F1 Explains Live podcast, 11:30 AM–12:00 PM. These are Fanzone-stage slots, a separate thing from the still-unpublished amphitheater forums above.
• Porsche Carrera Cup autograph session — Saturday, 11:00–11:30 AM. On the series' official IMSA schedule, at the Porsche PenFed Driver Lounge. Thirty minutes, support paddock energy, no F1 crowds — the easiest autographs of the weekend.