F1 ACADEMY and COTA to Welcome 7,000 Students at 2026 US Grand Prix
F1 ACADEMY expands Discover Your Drive at COTA
F1 ACADEMY and the Circuit of The Americas will bring more than 7,000 students from Austin and Central Texas to the 2026 FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX in what is set to be the largest-ever activation of the Discover Your Drive programme.
The initiative will take place on Thursday, October 22, ahead of Round 5 of the 2026 season. The event will also mark the expansion of the race weekend to four days, giving students aged 11 and 12 an opportunity to experience the sport from inside the circuit rather than solely from the grandstands.
Participants will tour the F1 ACADEMY paddock, hear from figures working across motorsport and watch Free Practice and Qualifying from the grandstands. The programme is designed to broaden access to the industry, particularly by opening more pathways into motorsport for women.
For the students involved, the significance lies in the range of possibilities presented at an early age. Discover Your Drive aims to show that Formula 1 is not only a sport to watch, but also an industry with careers that may otherwise remain out of reach. The scale of the COTA event gives that message an especially strong platform.
The initiative also reflects a wider focus on developing routes into motorsport, as highlighted by recent attention on junior programme leadership, while keeping the emphasis firmly on accessibility and first-hand experience.
Grand PrixView adds a public dimension
COTA will simultaneously launch Grand PrixView Thursday, offering members of the public a lower-cost way to experience the venue before the race weekend officially begins.
Tickets will cost $20 and include access to the F1 ACADEMY paddock, Fan Villages and COTALAND, the circuit’s brand-new amusement park. All of those experiences will be free for the 7,000 participating students.
Wolff: one experience can spark ambition
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY, said the programme could expand young people’s understanding of what is possible in motorsport.
“For many of the more than 7,000 students joining us at COTA, it will be their first opportunity to experience our sport firsthand, something they may never otherwise have had the chance to do,” Wolff commented.
She added that the event would not lead every young woman into motorsport, but could reveal new possibilities. “Sometimes all it takes is one experience to spark an ambition, reveal a new possibility or inspire a future career.”
Ciara Gillan
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producer’s brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastri’s rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!