Image credit Princess Bezos
The COTA Main Grandstand overlooks the start and finish straight at Circuit of the Americas. Sitting here provides fans with the best view of the action at the start of the race and in the pits.
There’s a number of different sections within the Main Grandstand and this article provides a full guide to the views, seat types and more information on each section in this stand.
Contents
Where is the COTA Main Grandstand?
The COTA Main Grandstand is on the outside (right-hand side) of the home straight at Circuit of the Americas.
It’s a huge stand that starts shortly after the exit of the final corner, Turn 20, and ends just past the start / finish line before the braking zone for the first corner.
It sits directly across the track from pit road, pit garages and the podium. You’re well placed here to see the US GP trophy being lifted by the F1 winner.
There are also four giant TVs opposite the stand, spread out along the pit garage building. See the Main Grandstand seating chart in the section below for their exact location.
The Main Grandstand is North-East facing, so you are most likely to have your back to the sun for a lot of the day in the un-shaded areas.
There are a huge number of food and drink vendors at the Main Grandstand, as well as toilets, water fill stations, a fully stocked bar and many more amenities.
COTA Main grandstand Tickets
The Main grandstand is one of, if not the most popular stand at the US GP meaning the best tickets will often sell out.
So I’d recommend buying tickets on StubHub instead, where there’s currently a huge number of US Grand Prix tickets in this grandstand for sale. Plus they have lots more single-day ticket options.
I’ve used StubHub for Formula 1 tickets a number of times over the last year, including for my trip to the Grand Prix in Las Vegas, and have always had a great experience buying through them.
Their FanProtect guarantee is very robust for protecting your money / tickets and gave me a lot of confidence when purchasing.
COTA Main Grandstand sections
There are 4 different sections within the Main Grandstand that are available to purchased reserved seating tickets in on race day:
- Lower level
- Trackside East & Trackside West
- Mezzanine
- Club Level
There are also two other hospitality options within the Main Grandstand; Loge Boxes and Main Grandstand suites. These will both be covered in another article about COTA hospitality.
COTA Main Grandstand seating chart
Enter your name and email in the boxes below and the hi-res COTA grandstand seating charts will be sent to your inbox. These will include all details of row and seat numbers. The files are too big to host here!
The seating chart shows the different sections of the Main Grandstand. The Trackside East & West sections are shown as individual seats, but they are actually bleacher style benches. You still have to reserve and individual seat in advance, however, so the circuit can manage the capacity.
The seating chart accurately shows the location of the four giant TV screens and the podium opposite the stand.
COTA Main Grandstand view
The view from any seat in any section of the Main Grandstand only includes the final corner Turn 20, the main straight and the first corner Turn 1.
The large pit garage building opposite the stand blocks a view of any other sections of the circuit. However the four giant TVs will provide live coverage of the action on the other parts of the track.
Below is more detailed information and examples of the view and seating types in each of the different sections within the Main Grandstand at COTA.
Lower Level
- Section numbers: 104 to 117
- Seat Type: Individual seats with backrest, armrests and cupholder
- Covered: No
The COTA Main Grandstand Lower Level seating area, also known as the 100 level seating area, is in the middle of the start finish straight. Sitting in the middle sections (around 111) mean you’re equally spaced out between the first and last corners.
The Lower Level seating area is not directly covered. However, as the stand faces North-East, the grandstand structure behind and above this area will provide some shade for a lot of the day. The further from the track you are in this seating area, the more shade you’re likely to get.
View from Section 104 (extreme left):
View from Section 110 (middle):
View from section 117 (extreme right):
Below is a video filmed from Section 105 Row 3, showing the cars passing left to right in front of the stand and the rest of the action on the giant TVs.
Trackside East & Trackside West
- Section numbers: 101 to 103 (West) and 118 to 123 (East)
- Seat Type: Bench seats with backrests. No armrests or cupholders
- Covered: No
The COTA Main Grandstand Trackside West seating area is on the left hand side of the Lower Level section as you look at the track, closest to the final corner.
Trackside East is on the right hand side, closest to Turn 1. Sitting in the middle or extreme right-hand side of Trackside East will give you the best view of the start / finish line and the first corner.
Both the Trackside seating areas are completely uncovered. As they extend past the sides of the main grandstand structure, the building is unlikely to cast a shadow on any of the Trackside seating areas. So make sure you bring your own sun protection.
View from section 101 (Trackside West extreme left):
View from section 102 (Trackside West middle):
View from section 121 (Trackside East middle):
View from section 123 (Trackside East extreme right):
The video below was filmed from section 121 Row 1, Trackside East.
Mezzanine
- Section numbers: 4A
& 4B to 17A & 17B - Seat Type: Bench seats with backrests. No armrests or cupholders
- Covered: Yes
The COTA Main Grandstand Mezzanine seating area is directly behind the Lower Level seats and is slightly raised up so you are able to see over the top of them. It’s completely covered as all of the Mezzanine seats are underneath the Club Level balcony, so you won’t have to worry about having the sun on you.
The view from the Mezzanine seats is pretty much the same as it is in the Lower Level seats in front of it, so see the images above for examples.
Club Level
- Section numbers: 204 to 217
- Seat Type: Bench seats with backrests. No armrests or cupholders
- Covered: Yes (partially)
The COTA Main Grandstand Club Level seating area, also known as the 200 level, is above the Mezzanine seating area. It gives a much more elevated view that looks over the catch fencing and has better coverage of the pit lane. The seating is much more steeply banked, so you are not at all obscured by the people in the row in front of you.
There is a large canopy which extends over the back half of the Club Level area, providing coverage for rows 9 and up. As the sun moves this will shade other sections as well. The back row has additional coverage thanks to a small balcony from the hospitality suites above.
There are also giant TV screens at either end of the Club Level area behind the seats. You can always turn around to view these for a bigger image if the ones across the track are a little far away.
View from section 204 (extreme left) row 9:
View from section 211 (middle) row 9:
View from section 217 (extreme right) row 9:
The video below was filmed from section 217.
Is the COTA Main Grandstand a good place to sit?
The Main Grandstand at COTA is a good place to sit if you want a view of the start and finish of the race, want to be in the biggest grandstand with a great atmosphere but are happy to watch most of the action from the giant TVs.
It is also the only grandstand at Circuit of the Americas that’s covered (if you sit in the right section). If staying out of the sun is important then this is the stand for you.
The biggest negative about the Main Grandstand at COTA is that you can only see Turn 20, the main straight and Turn 1 from it. Plus the action in pit road. All of the other corners are out of sight.
If seeing more of the action with your own eyes is important, check out the COTA Turn 1 grandstand which has a view down the whole start / finish straight plus amazing coverage over much of the track.
Or, check out the COTA Turn 15 grandstands. These don’t let you see the main straight but they do have amazing views of the stadium section where there’s lots of overtaking, plus many other corners.
Closest parking lots
The nearest parking lots to the Main Grandstand are A, directly behind the stand, and T, a short walk away.
See our detailed COTA parking guide for more information.
Other COTA grandstands
Below are detailed guides to all other grandstands at COTA:
