COTA Builds the World's Largest Cowboy Hat Ahead of F1's United States Grand Prix
The Circuit of the Americas is hoping to make a piece of history no other Formula 1 track can boast: the world's largest cowboy hat.
As F1 prepares to roll back into Austin for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, the Texas track is putting the finishing touches on a 75-foot-long fiberglass cowboy hat that will anchor Lone Star Land, one of its biggest fan areas, located at the circuit's infield. A themed bar will sit underneath the structure.
A Texan landmark with a world record in mind
COTA already sets itself apart from other F1 venues with its steep, uphill run to the first corner from the grid — topped by a giant American flag and, from this year, a new hospitality building — and the COTA Tower, which stretches 251 feet into the sky and offers views across the track and downtown Austin, 15 miles away.
But COTA chairman Bobby Epstein told The Athletic he felt the track needed something more. "I felt the track should have a tourist landmark (with a) Guinness World Record of some sort," he said.
That's where the cowboy hat came in. Since debuting on the F1 calendar in 2012, COTA has always leaned into its Texan roots, and the headwear is commonplace in the paddock as guests embrace the spirit of being in Texas for the race weekend. Last year, the track encouraged fans to wear cowboy hats to qualifying, turning Saturday into 'Haturday.'
"It just seemed like it fits Lone Star Land really well," Epstein said. "Instead of a regular tent, why don't we make a 75-foot long cowboy hat? So you'll see, it's spectacular. They're rushing to finish it, but it's very sturdy. It's made of fiberglass holding it together."
Final preparations are being made for the structure ahead of it being certified by an official from Guinness World Records this Thursday in Austin. It will then be in place for when F1 arrives next week, with fans attending the track from Thursday onwards.
"That should become a fixture for all future years, and it'll be very noticeable on the campus," Epstein said. "You won't miss it."
According to Guinness World Records' website, there is no current entry for the world's largest cowboy hat. Last year, the city of Garland unveiled a new sculpture of what it claimed to be the largest cowboy hat in Texas, measuring 20 foot by 6 foot, to honor its hat-making heritage.
Another sellout expected in Austin
COTA is on course for another sellout United States Grand Prix. The track has become one of the biggest events on the F1 calendar, regularly attracting total weekend crowds exceeding 400,000 fans, with F1 reporting a peak of 440,000 back in 2022. The race in Austin has proven popular among F1 drivers, who have been full of praise for the circuit layout. In 2023, Lewis Hamilton called COTA one of his favorite tracks.
"Often when they build new circuits, they're not really like the classics. But this was a classic from the get-go," Hamilton said. "It's one that enables us to have great races."
The track has also continued to appeal to fans through its varied offerings, which Epstein felt gave COTA great value. For 2026, it has launched a new 'Grand PrixView' ticket that costs $20 and allows fans to enter the track on a Thursday for the F1 pit lane walk and to see the F1 Academy support series. A general admission Grounds Pass costs $429 for the full weekend.
Maroon 5 and Post Malone will perform concerts over the weekend, with admission included with every race ticket, plus fans will also have the opportunity to visit the new 'COTALAND' theme park that opened in September.
Three U.S. races, three identities
Austin will mark F1's second visit to the United States this year following May's Miami GP, with the third American round, the Las Vegas GP, scheduled for November. All three U.S. races have carved out their own identity and niche, being held in different timezones and in different parts of the season.
"I think all three are unique," Epstein said. "I don't see us having as much clientele overlap with Vegas and Miami as Vegas and Miami I think might have with each other."
The 2026 United States Grand Prix is set to be staged at the Circuit of The Americas from October 23-25, with practice on Friday and Saturday, qualifying on October 24 and the 56-lap race on October 25. The 5.513km Hermann Tilke-designed track, which first hosted F1 in 2012, has produced some of the modern era's best overtaking, and its fastest-ever lap remains Charles Leclerc's 1:36.169 set in 2019.
Adding to the intrigue, 20-year-old Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli could become the youngest ever Formula 1 world champion at the United States Grand Prix — a piece of history the track would happily share with its new Texan landmark.