Motorsports/Racing
Zero shade at COTA - overcrowded and only warm water for sale. Spent over $100 on just water last year, pricing are sky high and you do not get much for your money. A mile hike from field parking, warm bottles of water, no shade, it is near miserable...
I have gone to COTA for a while now and the prices have gotten ridiculous. I didn’t attend last year because of the drastic change in prices. Hoping someday they will reduce prices to what they used to be.
I’ve attended every race since 2012. I’ve watched how greed helps increase prices every year making it impossible for a lot of real fans to attend. It is obvious that the organizers are going too far as there are still thousands of tickets available. This year I am not going to afford bleachers for the first time.
I’ve been to a few f1 racing over the years and cota is my favorite by far. We camp in lot N and sit at turn 1. Best views of the track
I’ve been going to the event for years, but the last couple have been too crowded, and simply not enough vendors to meet the demand. It seems like all of the organizers care about is packing money into their wallets versus providing a great experience for fans. Not sure I’ll be going back… hope those in charge read the reviews and see the common threads for opportunities to improve. Based on the last few years though doubt it.
Concert was great, but the transportation and parking was not.
I am a fan of racing but after attending this event, I must say it is overpriced. For the amount of time spent getting to a place to park (Barton Creek Mall or RideShare (DELVALLE HS) let alone the prices to get to the event you are already spending $100. Then the tickets themselves. Once you get to COTA you still have a lot of walk to do just to see a few things. The food and drinks are overpriced. Information accessibility is lacking. Everything is on your phone, so why arent there any charging stations? I am a fan, BUT Austin can do better, and COTA can do better. I spent more money than a trip to Disney and had less fun!
I hate that I follow the rules and get screwed! The policy was no umbrellas, clear bags only, and only one unopened water bottle allowed in... But everyone had umbrellas, big backpacks, and more than one bottle (reusable water bottle). Also, umbrellas were for sale for $100. It was extremely hot and the water refill station was about a mile away up a hill making it tiresome to keep going back and forth, so we opt to buying $5 12oz water bottles! Only good thing was we were able to see the F1 cars pretty close.
I considered buying bleacher/premium seats until a friend who attended last year told me to just buy General Admission tickets and bring a folding chair. I watched the action at Turns 1 and 2 and was very satisfied with what I paid for. There is a lot of walking involved to find good seats but it is worth it.
General Admission is not worth the cost; there were too many people. There were no spots where you could comfortably see the race or sit to get food, and they were always overcrowded no matter what. I arrived on the first shuttle and still found nothing. The restrooms were disgustingly dirty, and there was no soap and sometimes no water at most of them. They price gouged all the merchandise and food: $20 for a bottle of water and a hot dog, and hats that were $30 on the website were $90 or $160 at the event. Please save your money, spend less than a quarter of what you would, and watch it at home. The staff were lovely, but COTA should be ashamed of the experience they provided us.
