Grand Prix

F1 Announces Unique New Pre-Race Concept For United States Grand Prix

Things will look a little different before the race this weekend.
Ewan Gale|
IMAGO / Jan Huebner

Formula 1 will introduce a new entertainment concept ahead of the United States Grand Prix this weekend.

The pre-race build-up at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will feature a new initiative called "F1 Grid Gigs," which will see stars from the world of music perform as cars leave their garages and complete reconnaissance laps to the grid in the 45 minutes before lights out.

It is hoped that this will ensure fans remain entertained right up to the start of the race and follows similar concepts from grids this term, with guest DJs taking space at the start-finish line to pump up the crowd.

Milligan marks a first

Country music artist Drake Milligan will be the first to perform on the grid under the new initiative, which will not be featured at every race on the calendar. The next time F1 Grid Gigs will be seen will be when the championship returns to the United States in November for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

In a release by Formula One Management [FOM], it is revealed that the concept has been inspired by the F1 75 Live season launch at the O2 Arena, London, UK.

F1 Chief Commercial Officer Emily Prazer said: “There’s nothing like the energy of a Formula 1 grid as the world gets ready for the best drivers to go head-to-head.

“F1 Grid Gigs presented by American Express will elevate one of the most anticipated moments of a Grand Prix weekend. This new pre-race show has been designed to capture and celebrate the thrill of the grid and give fans in the stands and at home a taste of adrenaline and exhilaration before we go racing.”

COTA Crowd 2024
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It seems relevant that the first use of the F1 Grid Gigs will be at the US Grand Prix, given COTA's pioneering efforts in bringing entertainment to the sport.

Blockbuster concerts spread across race weekends after the circuit joined the calendar in 2012 revolutionized how race promoters presented an offering to racegoers.

The race weekend will also see fans take in the fourth sprint event of the season. The alternate format sees the second and third practice sessions replaced by sprint qualifying and the sprint itself, which are both shortened versions of the traditional qualifying and race formats.

COTA is hosting the first in a string of four races in the Americas, with six races remaining to determine who will become F1 drivers' champion.

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Ewan Gale
EWAN GALE

Ewan is a motorsport journalist covering F1 for Grand Prix On SI. Having been educated at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, and subsequently graduating from university with a sports journalism degree, Ewan made a move into F1 in 2021. Ewan joins after a stint with Autosport as an editor, having written for a number of outlets including RacingNews365 and GPFans, during which time he has covered grand prix and car launches as an accredited member of the media.

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