Sebastian Vettel ready to race in Texas and soaking up the 'non-typical US feel'

Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel said the United States Grand Prix at Austin was his "highlight of the season" ahead of the Circuit of the Americas about to celebrate its 10th year of hosting the Formula 1 race.

Until F1 found Austin to host the US GP, there had been numerous attempts to find a home for the race, which seemed always to end up heading back to being hosted around Europe and Asia.

What changed was in 2012 when the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) track was built to become a permanent venue for the American race, which saw the public begin to support F1 in great numbers.

It now seems the floodgates are opening in the US, with Miami and Las Vegas also becoming hosts for two more races. In 2023, Vegas will join both Austin and Miami as host cities.

Vettel, who retires from F1 as a driver at the end of 2022, admits he loves the Austin race because it retains a non-typical US feel.

"Obviously, I made my debut in Indianapolis five years before that [with BMW], but I think there's been a different vibe in Austin, right from the get-go," said Vettel.

"And it's been really exciting because the whole city was happy to have the race and welcomed us. Obviously, the interest across the US has grown in the last couple of years, but Austin has always been exceptional.

"I also feel that Austin isn't your typical America, if such a thing exists. So for us, it's been great to go there right from the start. And it's been a highlight of the season for many years now, for 10 years."

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