Ticket sales for this month’s U.S. Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, saw a significant boost after Max Verstappen's winning streak came to an end, according to race promoter Bobby Epstein. Red Bull’s Verstappen had a commanding start to the season, securing victory in four out of the first five races, and appeared poised to claim his fourth drivers’ title well before the season’s conclusion. However, the Dutch 27-year-old, who won 19 of 22 races last year, has not won any of the last eight races, with McLaren’s Lando Norris emerging as his closest challenger, now trailing by 52 points with six rounds left.
“Our ticket sales really surged when Max stopped winning, and the competition became more intense,” Epstein, whose Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is set to host a sprint race weekend on October 19-20, informed reporters. Initially, the promoter had anticipated the “weakest year in four since the pandemic,” but instead, there has been a “hockey stick” effect, with sales trending upward. The Grand Prix will also mark the first event since Red Bull-owned RB dropped Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, a crowd favorite in the U.S., last month and replaced him with New Zealander Liam Lawson.
Epstein expressed hope that Ricciardo might still attend in some capacity. “I’m not sure people are buying tickets specifically to see him race if he’s not in a competitive car, right?” he questioned. “But if they’re coming because he’s part of the F1 community, I think he can still play a meaningful role within that community. And he’s immensely popular in Texas, and I believe he enjoys it here.” Epstein added, “I hope he’s still coming because we’ve got a lot of fans who would love to meet him, get his autograph, take a picture, or just see him around town. We’ll keep him busy.”
The circuit will also feature an Eminem concert following the Saturday sprint, and Epstein anticipates a crowd of 130,000 to 150,000 on that day alone. Additionally, a college football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs will take place in town on Saturday, a high-profile matchup that has driven up hotel prices in the state capital. “I think we’ll have a weekend like we’ve never experienced before in terms of overall excitement and activities,” Epstein remarked. “The fact that we’ve got the top-ranked college game happening on that Saturday is going to make for an incredible weekend.”
