The Circuit of The Americas has renamed its final corner in honour of American racing icon Mario Andretti ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) announced today that it will dedicate Turn 20 to Italian-born, American racing legend and former COTA ambassador, Mario Andretti. Renowned as perhaps the most versatile racer of all time, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula 1, IndyCar, the World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR. In addition to his many accolades and achievements, he also drove the first ever lap of COTA when it opened in 2012.
Andretti will be rightfully memorialized at the track that hosts the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix, as well as the NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
Mario Andretti took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades. He was named Driver of the Year in three different decades (the 60s, 70s, 80s), Driver of the Quarter Century (in the 90s) and the Associated Press named him Driver of the Century in January 2000.
Honoured to stand between @MarioAndretti and @emmofittipaldi on the grid in Miami. Two world champions and legends of our sport.
Struck a deal with Mario to tick something off his bucket list – he’ll be driving a previous @McLarenF1 race car at this year’s US GP in Austin 👊 pic.twitter.com/FWzEzNzmvE
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) May 10, 2022
Turn 20 – which will be renamed ‘The Andretti’ – is the last turn of the 3.41-mile track in Austin, Texas. With views down the main straight, the start and finish line, and up into the famed hill of Turn 1, ‘The Andretti’ is a sharp, technical maneuver into an avenue of speed. The Main Grandstand and Paddock also border the Turn’s area of track, allowing motorsport enthusiasts to revel in the pure speed of the high performance vehicles streaking past.
‘The Andretti’ naming ceremony will take place on Thursday 20th October at Circuit of the Americas on the eve of the 10th Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
In addition to the ceremony, back in May during the Miami GP Formula 1 race, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown confirmed that Andretti will drive a McLaren Formula One car at the Circuit of the Americas ahead of this year’s United States Grand Prix which takes place on October 23.
Andretti was the first driver ever to complete a lap of COTA ahead of its inaugural grand prix back in 2012, with the track having since become a core part of the motorsport landscape in the United States.
As well as hosting MotoGP since 2013, the track began staging NASCAR races last year and has previously run IndyCar and IMSA events.
This weekend’s United States Grand Prix is set to be the best-attended race yet at COTA after the track added grandstands to satisfy the high levels of demand from the American fanbase.
Last year’s race attracted 400,000 fans over three days, marking a record for F1 that looks set to be beaten once again this weekend. This is despite the race being a dead rubber for the championship after Max Verstappen clinched the drivers’ title in Japan two weeks ago.