AUSTIN, Texas — The Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix weekend officially kicked off Friday at Austin's Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Each year, the race brings thousands of fans and millions of tourism dollars to Austin.
Some dedicated F1 fans like Nisura Perera and his girlfriend Venuri traveled across the country to get to COTA for the weekend's festivities.
“Nothing stops us," Perera said. "We came all the way from New York, she's from Michigan, so, you know, we we made all the sacrifices possible to get here.”
F1 fan Sergi Virgili and his family drove 12 hours from El Paso to be at COTA in person.
"My uncle's been watching it for so long,” Virgili said. “My uncle got into it not too long ago. I've started watching it like last two years, so we're all getting into it."
While fans have many different drivers they'll be rooting for, they all shared the excitement of getting to watch the F1 U.S. Grand Prix in person.
"I think it's going to be a blast seeing all those cars going on track 200 miles per hour,” said Perera.
The COTA gates opened at 8 a.m. Friday, and fans got to watch drivers hold practice and qualifying sessions. Throughout the weekend, there will be over 30 live music acts, including performances from some big headliners like Queen, The Killers and Tiësto.
The event will conclude on Sunday after the top drivers compete in the final 56 lap race. You can find a full schedule of events and the music lineup from COTA here.