A few months ago, I was scrolling through Instagram on a lazy afternoon while Chuck mowed the lawn. Suddenly, I stumbled upon a post shared by two accounts I follow with great interest and affection: Formula One and The Killers. It was an announcement that the band would play a concert at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) following the Qualifying round on a Sprint weekend.
I tell you what, friends — that post was made for me.
Barefoot, I ran outside with my phone in hand to show Chuck the Instagram post. He turned off the mower and squinted to see what was on the screen, which I had shoved in his face. As his expression showed understanding, all I said was, “Think about it. Just think about it while you’re mowing.”
Fast forward a few hours and we were checking hotel points and airline miles and trying to figure out a way to make it happen without spending a fortune. The day passes were only $90 per person, which was what we paid per adult ticket for a practice day in Monaco back in 2019 (the boys were free). This ticket included a practice session, Qualifying, and a Killers concert the same evening. It was a no-brainer. We booked the flights on airline miles, booked a hotel room for two nights on points, and forked over the cash for a rental car and the COTA tickets. All in all, it didn’t break us. (This was before our unfortunate lighting strike back in mid-August.)
Friday arrived early, and we knew it was going to be a monster of a day. Two weeks prior, the weather forecast was mid-80s and clear, but surrounding storms pushed the heat our way, and it was a sweltering 96 degrees for the bulk of the midday hours. We did our best to stay positive, hang onto our gratitude, and enjoy everything we’d been looking forward to.
The circuit was larger and more confusing than we anticipated. In fact, we wondered if the grounds of COTA are larger than the whole of Monaco, which we walked around with ease despite the micro-country being built on a cliff side and managing a language barrier with locals. Still, the atmosphere was fun, and there was plenty to see and do.
By far, our favorite part of the day was the Driver Engagement event prior to the practice session, which included the drivers from Williams and McLaren (my favorites!), Alfa Romero, Alpha Tauri, and Aston Martin. These were fun, softball interviews, but seeing these drivers up close was a real treat.
When we started following F1 in 2019, I immediately took to Williams Racing for its longevity, for its story, and for the hope they have for an underdog return to glory. Of course, they are a British team based in England.
Alex Albon has done an incredible job getting the best out of the Williams car this season, but I’m holding out hope that Logan Sargeant, the only American driver currently on the grid, will score a point or two and retain his seat for next year.
Then the stars aligned, and the McLaren drivers showed up. This is the other team I root for as a whole, whoever is driving. This is another long-standing British team with a rich history. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both young and show a ton of promise. They are so fun to watch!
Then, the crowd went wild when they saw Daniel Ricciardo. He’s a fan favorite and he’s been out for weeks with a hand injury. The man loves Texas, so it was fitting for his return to the grid to happen at COTA.
While we don’t root for Aston Martin, it was cool to see a World Championship driver, Fernando Alonso. He is an aggressive driver, which makes him fun to watch.
Finally, out came the Alfa Romeo drivers: Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, and Valtteri Bottas’ mullet and moustashe:
We watched the free practice session in the shade, mercifully, after finding a grassy spot under a bridge. This is Red Bull driver Sergio Perez between Turns 15 and 16.
We knew we didn’t want to stay here for Qualifying, so that meant accepting our fate and enduring the Texas heat for a few hours. Honestly, it was punishing and miserable at times. There were serious moments of questioning our decisions!
But, since it’s unlikely we’d ever return to COTA, we endured. We walked a MILLION miles to Turn 1, which has an incredible view of the pit lane, and then continued walking another MILLION miles to Turn 11 since it presented a good view for Qualifying.
McLaren driver Lando Norris during Q1:
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Red Bull driver Sergio Perez during Q1:
Alpha Tauri driver Daniel Ricciardo behind Ferrari driver Carlo Sainz during Q1:
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll in Q1:
World Champion Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in Q1:
World Champion Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in Q1:
Once the Qualifying round was over, we sought refuge in the shade of a food hall and paid an obscene amount of money for greasy food and bottled water. Once the sun began its descent, we felt the temperatures drop and knew it was time to make our way to the concert lawn for The Killers. Since we just saw them in concert last year, we didn’t feel the need to get close and stake a claim on a plot of grass.
As we got closer to the lawn, we realized we’d get to cross the track!
Of course, we stopped to take a selfie!
Since this concert wasn’t part of an album tour, they played an array of songs from both old and recent albums. We’ve been fans of the band for 20 years, so I sang along the whole time.
Not sure if you can see the fatigue in our eyes, but we were flat dab exhausted, fully dehydrated, and full of gratitude.
We got home late last night, and yes, it’s all a blur. That is why I document everything — my memory isn’t what it used to be, and I don’t want to forget anything. We had a whirlwind trip with two long days of traveling and one incredible day in between. Was it worth it? Yes! If 2020 taught me anything it’s that our time is fleeting. I will not pass up opportunities to see what we want to see and do what we want to do within our means.
We have bucket list venues for Formula One, and COTA has never been on that list. But, the opportunity presented itself, so we ran with it. Hopefully our next F1 race will be in Europe somewhere, but you never know.