Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. News

Get Your Butt on the U.S. Grand Prix Track with Audi’s High-Octane Driving Experience

By

This weekend, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will host Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix for the fifth year in a row. Leading up to the race, all eyes are on Mercedes-AMG Petronas and their star driver, Lewis Hamilton. Both the Driver championship and Constructor championship could be decided at this single event, making this race a critical one for all teams involved.

Should Hamilton claim victory and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel trail in sixth place or worse, Hamilton will earn his fourth Driver Championship — tying Vettel’s record. For second-place Ferrari to pull out a Constructor championship this season (thereby recovering from its 145-point deficit and ending Mercedes-AMG’s three-year run), it will take a little magic and a whole lot of mistakes on behalf of its German rival. Any way you look at it, this year’s U.S. Grand Prix won’t be one to miss.

Recommended Videos

Whether you plan to watch the race at home or in person, chances are, you’ve embraced the spectator role. There are certainly worse sports to view from the sidelines (care for a dose of professional fishing?), but what if you could get more involved in F1?

We can’t toss you the keys to a million-dollar Formula One car, but we can point you in the direction of a driving experience on the U.S. Grand Prix circuit — complete with rip-roaring sports cars.

Audi’s Driving Experience puts you behind the wheel of its hottest models to improve your car control, finesse, and technique while lapping the Circuit of the Americas. You can learn the basics with just a few hours of hands-on training or opt for a more immersive regimen in the automaker’s flagship R8 V10 Plus supercar. Either way, you’re guaranteed a new appreciation for what pro drivers face each time they suit up.

Audi offers four driving experience tiers (starting at $595) that begin with the fundamentals of quick decision-making behind the wheel, proper seating position, and vehicle behavior. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive RS3, TT-RS, and R8 V10 Plus offer the perfect mix of predictability and dynamics.

Who knows, this might be the first step in your path to becoming a pro driver … or it’s just a really badass way to spend a day or two. After all, no one wants to be a spectator forever. For more information on times and pricing, head here.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman
Former Contributor
Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…
Topics
Is the BMW XM a perfect blend of practicality and performance
What it lacks in handling, it makes up for in comfort and practicality
Car, Transportation, Vehicle

The BMW XM has received a bit of a mixed response, but there’s a strong argument that it’s a logical next step on from the BMW M5. Think about it, the M5 is special because it combines practicality with exceptional performance. The BMW XM does the same thing, though you’re trading a little handling quality for far more practicality.

On a recent venture in BMW’s performance SUV, I weighed up the pros and cons of BMW’s most divisive vehicle. And it may be a better choice than BMW’s flagship.

Read more
Is the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 the best sports coupe on the market?
It's fast, good looking, and the sound of its V8 will send shivers down your spine.
Side view of a Mercedes-AMG GT 63

When it comes to entertaining vehicles, it’s hard to beat a good sports coupe. And, despite it being a competitive segment, there’s an argument that the Mercedes-AMG deserves a spot close to the top of the sports coupe table.

In terms of direct rivals, the AMG sits in a similar bracket to the Porsche 911, Maserati Granturismo, and the BMW M8 Competition. All of which offer a lot of power, excellent handling, and an eye catching exterior.

Read more
McLaren and Motul develop bespoke lubricant to keep them on top
Motul uses McLaren Racing to test the limits of their formulas
Auto Racing, Car, Formula One

My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Ranger. It was small, reliable, and the perfect first car. However, I wasn't allowed to park it in the driveway at home because it went through as much oil as it did gas. The leak was bad enough that I had to check and refill the oil once a week. The same cadence as the gas tank. That was where I learned the importance of fluids for cars. McLaren hits the Formula 1 tracks across the globe with that importance at the forefront of mind as they compete for the championship, and will now be teaming with Motul to take their collaboration for the world's most reliable lubricant to the world of endurance racing. From the high stress of speed in Formula 1 to the endurance of long-distance racing, the perfect bespoke lubricant is on the way.

McLaren was already using a very high-performance transmission fluid, with an extremely high level of requirements. Our challenge was to go even further: decrease friction losses even more while ensuring lubricant durability over time. The formulation developed with McLaren Racing has been validated to maintain its performance over several thousand kilometers under Formula 1 conditions. And this is only the beginning: in F1, cars are constantly evolving, and the formulation will continue to progress as well. - Julien Plet, Head of R&D at Motul.

Read more