Cowboy hats and left turns: What to know about F1's Grand Prix in Austin

Austin is the perfect place for a late-season showdown because it brings together the best elements of F1's most famous tracks.

The Circuit of the Americas, opened in 2012 and often abbreviated to COTA, was designed to incorporate the best individual elements of global F1 tracks into one big, bad circuit. The massive swing after the first turn? That's the Senna "S" curve from Interlagos in Brazil. The long, bending straight? That's Hockenheim in Germany. The triple corner that kicks off Sector 2? That's the trio of Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel from Silverstone in England. 

COTA was designed to be a melting pot of global influences — just like the U.S.

COTA, however, has its own elements, too. It's one of the few F1 tracks to run counterclockwise, which means it features far more left turns than right ones; left turns are more physically demanding for most drivers and require more effort to get right. 

COTA is set among Austin's famous hills, so the circuit has wild elevation changes. The first turn on the track — a wicked left turn — comes after a massive uphill straight and feeds immediately into a speedy downhill. There's no other turn in F1 like it. 

Drivers love COTA, but more importantly, they love Austin. It has become one of the most beloved stops on the F1 calendar for its energy and showmanship.

"I'm massively excited to be in Austin," Hamilton said, per the Austin American-Statesman. "They just do it differently here, right? I would say us Europeans are good at sports, but there are things we've learned in terms of how we put on a show to grow our audience. Austin is always such a fun place, and they know how to put on a show."

Expect plenty of Texas kitsch at the Grand Prix this weekend — and a lot of cowboy hats.

This weekend is one of F1's "sprint"' weekends, which means the competition will be fierce and unrelenting. The drivers will receive just one practice session instead of their usual three; the rest of the weekend will be full of qualifying and racing.

The U.S. Grand Prix will begin Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.