AUSTIN, Texas — Starting Friday, the Formula 1 (F1) cars will begin circling the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) track – which means you need to know when to get to the track.
Different from last year, this year's races will take place much later than before. The race in 2021 began closer to noon and the Grand Prix race on Sunday began an hour earlier.
Starting the weekend off on Oct. 21, the F1 cars will start their first of two practice races at 2 p.m. CST. The first practice race will last for one hour and end at 3 p.m., and the second practice race will start at 5 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m.
These practice races are for the drivers to get accustomed to the track's movements and to ease back into driving after having a two-week hiatus from the Japan Grand Prix earlier this month.
On Oct. 22, the third practice race will begin the day at 2 p.m. CST and end at 3 p.m. The Qualifying race will start at 5 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. The Qualifying race, or "Quals," is the second-most important race of the weekend after the Sunday race.
Quals allow for the drivers to earn their starting positions for the beginning of Sunday's race – performance on this race is just as vital as the performance on race day.
After the drivers have earned their starting placement, the race for Sunday, Oct. 23, will began at 2 p.m. and end at 4 p.m., or it will last for 120 minutes – whichever comes first.
GET PREPPED FOR THE RACE: