I was fortunate to once again have the opportunity to travel to Austin to cover the 2023 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas for Texas Highways magazine. When I first had the assignment of covering the race in 2015, I figured it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Somehow, whether through pure luck, manifesting it, or just maybe some skill I've not attended the Austin-based race eight times as credentialed media. It gets more challenging every year to get creative, but such an amazing experience very time.
Scuderia Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda climbs the "Big Red" hill towards turn one during the Grand Prix.MoneyGram Haas F1's Kevin Magnussen rounds the tower complex during Saturday's Formula 1 Sprint Race.The back of Red Bull Racing's pit wall command center with the main grandstand in the background.McLaren's Lando Norris exits turn one in the early stages of the Grand Prix.Fictional racing legend Ricky Bobby poses with a longhorn outside the paddock entrance prior to Sundays race.MoneyGram Haas F1's Nico Hulkenberg speeds down the start/finish straight.McLaren's Lando Norris overtakes Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the first corner of the 2023 Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand PRix.Scuderia Ferrari's Carlos Sainz passes the COTA Observation Tower during Satruday's Formula 1 Sprint Race.Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc speeds up the hill towards "Big Red"—the first corner of the racetrack named after one of the initial investors, Red McCombs—during the Formula 1 Sprint Shootout.Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team's Fernando Alonso—a two-time F1 Drivers Champion—stops at the end of the pit lane at the start of the Sprint Shootout on Saturtday aftertnoon.Kim Reimer—the "Ferrari Hat Guy"—hails from Florida and has been to numerous Grand Prix including Montreal and Miami, and makes a new hat every season. This year's rendition is his 20th such hat. He likes the United States Grand Prix here in Austin because the track provides numerous excellent vantage points where you can see the track action for a good duration, versus the slivers of track many other racetracks offer.Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is interviewed after finishing third in Saturday evening's Formula 1 Sprint Race.Racing legend Jackie Stewart—Sir John Young Stewart OBE formally—speaks to attendees in the paddock area behind the team garages.Members of the University of Texas Longhorn Band flash the horns before hefore heading out onto the track to perform prior to the race.A very Texas-sized welcome greets visitors as they enter the Grand Plaza area at the circuit through the main entrance gates.In a bit of deja vu from the Sprint Race the day prior, Max Verstappen also won the 2023 Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix on October 22, 2023.A large homage to Austin's Mexican Free-Tailed bat population on the mural outside the main grandstand.The Porsche Carrera Cup Norht America is one of the support races being run during the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin. Here, a competitor heads towards turn three during the qualifying session Saturday morning.A performer does lasso tricks on the councourse outside the main grandstand during Friday's track action.Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc navigate the second qualifying round for Sunday's Grand Prix.Scuderia Ferrari's Carlos Sainz navigate the second qualifying round for Sunday's Grand Prix.McLaren F1 Team's Lando Norris crests the hill at Turn 10 with the massive Texas state flag and COTA tower looming in the background.MoneyGram Haas F1 Team's Nico Hülkenberg stops to take a selfie with a fan during the team's unveiling of a special livery for ithe United States Grand Prix.A new mural to th eleft of the main grandstand outside the circuit depciting the three primary race series that COTA hosts, as well as items from the Austin skyline.Oracle Red Bull Racing's Sergio "Checo" Perez navigates the tower complex during free practice one.Juan Marin, visiting from Houston, is attending his second United States Grand Prix, after having grown up watching it. He couldn't pass up the opportunity after living just a couple of hours away.Prema Racing's Chloe Chong takes part in free practice one of the F1 Academy series, and all female series meant to serve as a pipeline to the elite levels of motorsport for women.A view from the back of the Turn 19 grandstand while fans take in the first Formula 1 free practice.At the United States Grand Prixc, Formula 1 as a whole—and the teams individually—have long embraced what people in other countries view as U.S. culture in general and Texas culture specifically. Here, Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz play a friendly game of corn hole in football-styled team jerseys, cowboy hats, and face mustaches.Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas arrives at the track in cowboy couture.Race preperation presents itself in hundreds of different ways, not the least of which are teams accounting for their tire allocation for the weekend, and makig sure they're inflated to the requireed specifications.
This year I was fortunate to cover my seventh Formula 1 United States Grant Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. It's truly amazing to witness the growth the sport has experienced in the United States due in no small part to the Netflix series "Drive to Survive." My first year covering the event was 2015, and were it not for booking Taylor Swift to perform during the Grand Prix in 2016, that could've been the final race in Austin. Instead this year we enjoyed an all-time weekend attendance record for an F1 race weekend.
McLaren F1 Team's Daniel Ricciardo crests the hill at turn 10 with the iconic COTA observation tower in the background as well as the always iconic Texas flag, a physically huge new addition to the track at turn six.Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas rounds turn 13 with the large stylized Texas flag that is painted on the runoff area of turn 12 in the background during Saturday's qualifying session.Eventual pole winner Carlos Sainz of Scuderia Ferrari speeds through turn three as seen from the general admission fan area.Scuderia Alphatauri's driver Pierre Gasly waits at pit exit to take a practice start during FP1 on the opening day of track action.From left to right, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Charles LeClerc pose for photos on the podium.Cars round turn 20 just before half-distance during the race, having been bunched together during a 'safety car' period after Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were involved in an on track collision.The "Fan Track Invasion" takes over the hill at turn one at the conclusion of this year's Grand Prix.The view from thet op of turn one provides a sprawling look at the Circuit of the Americas campus with the Austin skyline visible in the distance.With Austin's proximity to Mexico there has always been a large contingent of fans attending the race from South of the border. This has made Sergio "Checo" Perez one of the crowd favorites at the United States Grand Prix.Max Verstappen powers up towards turn one leading Charles LeClerc.Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen crests the hill at turn 10 with a giant Texas flag waving in the background.McLaren F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, as is his tradition, once again has fully adopted his cowboy persona on his return to Texas for the United States Grand Prix, going so far as to arrive to the paddock via horseback.Eventual race winner, and recently crownded two-time world champion Max Verstappen exits turn one as he built a solid—if not commanding—lead at the beginning of the race..The back of Haas F1's Kevin Magnussen's car scrapes along the tarmac sending up a shower of sparks as he speeds through turn three early in the race on Sunday.Racing legen Mario Andretti preparing to get out of the car after his demonstration laps.As in years past the Longhorn Band from the University of Texas played a big role—literally and figuratively—in the pre-race festivities.At the start of the race, pole sitter Carlos Sainz unfortunately found himself facing the wrong direction after contact with George Russell as they rounded turn one. To add insult to injury, that contact resulted in damage to his car forcing him to retire from the race, ruining what had started out as such a promising day initially.Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin speeds past the turn 15 grand stand during qualifying of the 2022 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix.Scuderia Ferrari performs pit stop practices on Thursday evening prior to track action starting on Friday.Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1's driver Sebastian Vettel speeds through turn six at Circuit of the Americas during FP3 of the 2022 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix.Fans of newly crowned two-time World Champion Max Verstappen look into the Red Bull Racing garage during the fan pit walk event on Thursday evening.Haas F1's drivers Kevin Magnussen (left) and Mick Schumacher (right) take part in a fan team experience in the Germania Insurance Amphitheater.The horse driver Daniel Ricciardo arrived to the paddock on in front of the McLaren F1 hospitality area, with required "F1 VIP" lanyard to insure no one harrased him on the way in.A more complete view of the giant Texas flag at turn six. Because as they say, everything is bigger in Texas.The timing tower located at the pit lane exit.BWT Alpine F1 Team's Fernando Alonso exits turn one as the sun begins setting on the first day of running for the weekend.Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's driver George Russell leaves the pit lane during the first Formula 1 practice session of the weekend.Oracle Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen stands atop his car as he celebrates taking victory at the 2022 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.When your a beverage company sponsored team and you have reason to celebrate, you spray said beverage over everyone instead of champaign. At the conclusionof their celebratory group photo Red Bull team members scatter in all directions as Red Bull drinks spray everywhere.
After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was fortunate to return to Austin to cover the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix for my friends at Texas Highways magazine. With a number of health and safety restrictions in place, it was somewhat of a different beast covering the race this year versus the prior five F1 races I've covered in Austin but it provided for some forced creativity throughout the proceedings.
I've addressed this before—this being why someone who often photographs families and weddings would photograph motorsports—and some of it is practicing a genre of photography that is outside my norm, which in the simplest terms helps me fight any burnout I might experience. Variety is the spice of life after all. Secondly, there is value in photographing an event where I have absolutely no control over how things proceed, can't stage anything, and can't get a do-over. And finally, it helps hone my culling and editing, as I need to go through thousands of images more or less as I am taking them, edit my selects, write captions, and turn them over to an editor within 72 hours.
The helicopter flyover at the start of the 2021 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.A photo of roughly three-quarters of the Circuit of the Americas complex taken from the observation deck 231 feet in the air near the top of the iconic COTA Tower.In the closing stages of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo leads Carlos Sainz and Valetteri Bottasthrogh the final turn.The American flag is flown by skidivers during the national anthem, accompanied by red, white, and blue smoke at the beginning of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren sheds sparks as the underside of the car scrapes the tarmac on the exit of turn 18 in the tower complex at Circuit of the Americas during qualifying of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix.The Austin skyline as viewed from the track with the turn 11 grandstands to the left. After early clouds and extreme humidity, race day turned into a beaiutiful if hot day.Yuki Tsunoda, Kimi Raikonnen, Fernando Alonso, and Antonio Giovinazzi speed down the start/finish straight towards the track's signature turn one.COTA's "Onederland" area in the new infield viewing area at the back stretch of the track described as a sort of mini-burning man festival.Fans take a selfie on the observation deck 231 feet in the air on the COTA Tower.A spectator on the lawn in the tower complex finds respite from the son with a Texas flag umbrella.International fans and Formula 1 go hand-in-hand, and this year at the United States Grand PRix it was no differen.tAustralian Daniel Ricciardo has a habit of going "full Texan" whenever he visits Austin for the United States Grand Prix having in years past worn UT Longhorn football jersey and a replica Longhorn football helmet as his crash helmet.Red Bull's Max Verstappen heads up the hill at turn eight during the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel as he exits the pit lane during qualifying session one of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.Alpine F1 Team's Fernando Alonso speeds through the tower complex, taken from above on the observation platform.Aston Martin's Lance Stroll navigates the esses—a series of high speed 'corners'—during the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand PRix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.Scuderia Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda enters turn 19 during the third practice session of the weekend.Fans from Mexico watching from the pedestrian bridge at turn three.In the early stages of the race Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel follows Williams' George Russell out of turn one during the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco Untied States Grand Prix.Carnival rides and attractions abound throughout Circuit of the Amercias to provide a mixture of entertainment beyond the on-track action.The three year old W Series—an all female racing series—made its debut on North American at the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco UNited States Grand Prix. Previously only racing in parts of Europe. Driver Jamie Chadwick won the first of two races over the weekend.McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo exits turn 10 with the inonic COTA tower in the background during the first practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.The iconic COTA Tower with an F1 flag the morning of practice session three.Naturally when an event takes place in the "Live Music Captial of the World" there's going to be plenty of music performances to be had from Billy Joel, 21 Pilots, Kool & the Gang, to numerous local acts.For the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2021, the Honda powered cars of Red Bull and Slpha Tauri sported the Acura logo on the rear wing instead of the usual Honda branding.Aston Martin Cognizant's driver Sebastian Vettel navigates the "esses" during the first practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2021.Uralkali Hass F1 Team's driver Mick Schumacher exits turn 12 followed by two other cars during the second practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2021 with a representation of the Texas flag painted on the run-off area behind him.Alpine F1 Team's driver Esteban Ocon exits turn one during the first practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2021.McLaren F1 Team's Daniel Ricciardo doing demonstration laps in the late Dale Earnhardt Sr's 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR stock car with its iconic blue and yellow "Wrangler Jeans" livery. Earnhardt Sr. is in fact why Ricciardo drives under the number '3.' in tribute.Alfa Romeo Racing's driver Antonio Giovinazzi enters Turn 14 during the second practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2021.One of the numerous marshall stands surrounding the track. Race marshall's are an imprtant part in keeping everyone from teh drivers to fans safe throughout a race weekend and are typically volunteers. It's hard work, but an outstanding way to get a front row seat to a race.Scuederia Ferrari's Carlos Sainz races under the pedestrian bridge at turn three during the first practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.Haas F1's Nikita Mazepin crests the hill at turn eight during the first practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.The crews of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Checo Perez climb the fence to celebrate their drivers finishing first and third, respectively, for the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand PRix.The throngs of fans in the mian grandstand area as well as the turn one lawn and grandstand. Supports of Max Verstappen have set off their signature orange smoke bombs that are often seen at Grand Prix around the world.The podium ceremony for the 2021 Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix with guest presenter Shaquille O'Neal who was also DJing a concert after the race under the name "DJ Diesel"The podium ceremony as seen over the crowd that stormed on the track as part of the "fan track invasion" immediately following the completion of the race.
Every time I find myself at Circuit of the Americas outside Austin, Texas I mentally pinch myself. Mentally because if I were to walk around physically pinching myself that'd just be weird. This past November I had the opportunity to cover my fifth Formula 1 United States Grand Prix for the team at Texas Highways—the official travel magazine of Texas—and I truly can't thank them enough.
When I photographed my first race back in 2015, if I'm being totally honest, I just barely deserved to be there. It isn't that I didn't get some shots that I really, really like, and I was fortunate that my instincts partially gained from photographing weddings and live music events placed me in the right spot at the right time for the podium ceremony where Lewis Hamilton secured his—at the time—third drivers championship, but I just didn't really know what I was doing. I generally had a sense of the format of a Grand Prix weekend, but I didn't follow the sport at the time. Which I suppose meant I was no better or worse off than your typical American when it comes to Formula 1, but still. It also didn't help that Central Texas experienced some truly severe weather that weekend which scuttled basically an entire day of racing and the subsequent photography of said racing.
Fast forward to this year, and Lewis Hamilton secured his sixth driver championship in Austin, and I was very much aware of that storyline—and all of the storylines—of the 2019 season. I'm now the kind of fan that subscribes to the sports streaming service where I can watch every practice session, every qualifying session, and every race live if I choose—or should I say if I can stay up late or get up super early to watch races live that are taking place on the other side of the world.
When working on an editorial assignment for a magazine covering a sporting event, it really helps me hone my skills in quickly culling and editing photos, and turning them around into something of a narrative—if just barely—and publishing them. Going through over six thousand photos from four days, and culling those down to a manageable slideshow number, and writing captions, and having it all ready to go no later than the day following the race is a heck of a skill set to have when I am trying to turn around wedding photos or family portraits, and really helps me provide those photos to my clients more quickly than many other wedding and family photographers.
With all of that said, enjoy some outtakes that simply wouldn't fit in the published gallery over at Texas Highways. And if you've never followed Formula 1, or only done so casually, maybe this will help change your mind and turn you into the superfan I've become.
Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas racing and NASCAR fame brought a car to Circuit of the Americas for Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean of Haas F1 to take for a spin around the track.Renault F1's Daniel Ricciardo has fully embraced the Texas lifestyle and reveals his special edition race helmet for the United States Grand Prix, styled after the football helmet of the University of Texas Longhorns. He was joined by the Bevo mascot and the Longhorn Cheerleaders for the reveal.Scuderia Ferrari's pit crew runs through pit stop practice on Thursday prior to the start of track action.Charles LeClerc's Number 16 Ferrari SF90 awaits scrutineering on Thursday, October 31st. Each team has to present their cars each race to the FIA—F1's governing body—to insure their cars conform to race regulations.Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel rounds the hairpin turn 12 during free practice three with the Texas flag painted on the track in the background.Lando Norris speeds through turn 17, caught here reflected in the glass on the side of the observation deck 230 ft in the air on the COTA tower.Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikonnen—last year's race winner when he drove for Ferrari—signs autographs during Saturday morning in the F1 Fan Zone.Ferrari's Charles LeClerc makes his way into the paddock on Saturday morning prior to free practice three.Daniel Ricciardo sporting a jersey from The University of Texas Longhorns during the drivers parade to coordinate with his special helmet for the race, a replica of the Longhorns' football helmets.Eventual race winner—Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas—exits turn one towards the beginning of the 2019 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
The IndyCar Series finally came to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas this March and I was fortunate to be there covering the event for Texas Highways magazine.
While it doesn't happen at every race, it sure seems like the purpose-built Formula 1 track has a knack for being the setting for history-making events of varying degrees (see Kimi Raikonnen's winning drive at the 2018 F1 United States Grand Prix.) The IndyCar Classic was no exception, with Colton Herta taking the checkered flag, and becoming the youngest race-winning driver in IndyCar Series history at age 18.
Alexander Rossi with the general admission area adjacent to the turn one hill in the background during the 2019 IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas.James Hinchcliffe, rookie Patricio O'Ward, and rookie Felix Rosenqvist make their way from the main straight up the 133-foot hill to turn one as Scott Dixon exits the pit lane during the 2019 IndyCar classic.Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay crests turn 10 with the Circuit of the Americas tower in the background during the first IndyCar practice session.Team Penske's Josef Newgarden exits turn 11 behind a field of bluebonnets. Because Texas.One of the support races at the inaugural IndyCar classic featured Stadium Super Trucks., which are clearly a departure from your standard road racing featuring jumps, and lots of corners where the trucks end up on two wheels.One of the support races at the inaugural IndyCar classic featured Stadium Super Trucks., which are clearly a departure from your standard road racing featuring jumps, and lots of corners where the trucks end up on two wheels.Ameripolitan Music legend Dale Watson performing on the "Lone Star Stage" which featured Texas-tinged music throughout the IndyCar Classic weekend.Carlin's Max Chilton rises up the hill past turn 9 during IndyCar practice three.Mayer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM's Jack Harvey view from the platform atop the COTA tower. Spectators take tours to the viewing platform 230 feet in the air for a 360-degree view of the track, surrounding landscape, and the Austin Skyline.Race winner Colton Herta—the youngest winner of an IndyCar race in history—autographs the television camera at the conclusion of the 2019 IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas.Confetti cannons going off during the podium celebration for the inaugural IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas.
When I first pitched the idea of doing a photo essay of this years' Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas for my colleagues at Texas Highways magazine, I didn't realize the World Endurance Championship wouldn't be returning to Austin in the foreseeable future. Which I won't lie is a bit of a bummer.
I also didn't realize that there wouldn't be any evening racing, and I'd really hoped to capture the track at night. Double whammy!
But capture the event I did, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity. It was a really neat experience and its a shame that more people didn't attend. The amount of access to the cars, the teams, the drivers, and parts of the facility were truly amazing. And while having media credentials did allow me to shoot trackside which I couldn't have done otherwise, I didn't need it to get up close to the paddock area, the garages, anything really.
These are just a handful of the images, you can view the whole gallery over at Texas Highways.
I'd previously been out to Circuit of the Americas to cover Formula 1 twice but had never attended a MotoGP race. That all changed this year with the opportunity to cover the 2017 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas for Texas Highways magazine. It was a really great experience, with its own minor quirks and challenges shooting it that differed from covering Formula 1 (beyond the obvious differences of course). For additional photos check out the full photo essay.
This year I was fortunate to once again shoot the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas for Texas Highways magazine. In addition to the race festivities, I was also able to secure accreditation for Taylor Swift's sole performance of 2016 following Saturday's qualifying race. And while it may sound crazy, I think there is a lot of overlap between the skills involved in shooting such a large motorsport event and music performance and wedding photography. You're constantly on the move and dealing with sometimes limited vantage points from which to get just the shot your looking for which really forces you to get creative.
Below you'll find only a handful of images from the event, so if you're into F1 and/or Taylor Swift be sure to check out the full photo series.
Last week I had the pleasure of covering SXSW for my day job at Texas Highways magazine. This happened to also include the opportunity to cover First Lady Michelle Obama's panel about the Let Girls Learn initiative with Sophia Bush, Missy Elliott, and Diane Warren moderated by Queen Latifah. It was an inspiring panel, made doubly so for me as the father of a little girl who is in such a hurry to grow up into a world that is not always inviting and welcoming to women. #letgirlslearn #62milliongirls
