Circuit of the Americas president Bobby Epstein has questioned Stefano Domenicali’s concerns about Formula 1 races in the United States clashing with NFL and college football games. The Austin circuit chief believes evolving fan habits and modern technology have made those scheduling conflicts considerably less problematic than they were in the past.
Stefano Domenicali recently ruled out an additional United States race as Formula 1 considers potential changes to the closing stages of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. However, Bobby Epstein believes the championship’s growth in the American market means major domestic sporting events no longer present the same obstacle for an F1 weekend.
Bobby Epstein questions F1’s NFL calendar clash concerns
Bobby Epstein acknowledged that clashes with American sporting events were a significant concern when Formula 1 first established its race at the Circuit of the Americas. “That was the concern at the beginning,” he said.
However, the COTA president questioned whether Stefano Domenicali is primarily worried about attendance at the circuit or competition for television audiences, particularly when an F1 race goes up against an NFL game on a Sunday afternoon in November.
“But I don’t know whether his concern is more about attendance on site or television competition, with American viewers facing the NFL at three o’clock on a Sunday afternoon in November. He knows that audience better than I do.”
Mobile technology has changed how fans follow NFL games
In the past, organisers at the Texas circuit had to install numerous television screens in hospitality areas and bars so that spectators could follow NFL games while attending the United States Grand Prix. According to Bobby Epstein, mobile phones have fundamentally changed how fans manage overlapping events.
“Now, thanks to mobile phones, there are other ways to follow NFL games. I think we have overcome that obstacle, but people still have ways to access football games,” Bobby Epstein explained.
The COTA president also highlighted the wider entertainment programme offered during the Austin weekend. He suggested that Saturday could even prove to be its most important day because of the scheduled Post Malone concert, illustrating how the event has developed into far more than a conventional Grand Prix weekend.
Bobby Epstein then offered an ironic response to the concern over competing sporting audiences: “Perhaps soon someone will ask the NFL whether it is worried about clashing with the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.”
Could Austin host a second Formula 1 race?
Bobby Epstein confirmed that there had never been concrete discussions with Formula 1 about using the Austin circuit as a replacement venue for the final races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. He also expressed serious reservations about staging two F1 events at COTA within a short period.
“I wouldn’t want to see our circuit host an F1 race without having enormous crowds in the city. I think that is part of what makes it so special. And I don’t believe it would be logistically possible to organise everything within such a short interval from our United States Grand Prix,” he said.
The COTA president remains satisfied with the current structure and scale of the Austin weekend. “I wouldn’t want people to have to choose between the weekends, and I am very happy with our mega weekend as it is. It should always be like that. I don’t want it to be anything less.”
COTA remains willing to support Formula 1
Despite his doubts about the practicalities of another Austin race, Bobby Epstein made clear that COTA would support Formula 1 if unusual circumstances required the circuit to help.
“But I would say that, if it helped F1, we would be here to do it. We want to do everything possible to help it succeed and understand that sometimes—just as we saw during COVID—circumstances require things to be done a little differently from what would otherwise be ideal.”
His comments follow Stefano Domenicali’s decision to dismiss the possibility of an additional race in the United States specifically because of a potential conflict with the NFL calendar. A final decision concerning the closing rounds of the 2026 season is expected in September, while Formula 1 is also preparing its longer-term plans, with Stefano Domenicali having explained when the 2027 F1 calendar will be presented.
Bobby Epstein’s position is that Formula 1’s expanding American audience, combined with the changing ways in which supporters consume live sport, has made clashes with NFL and college football games less significant than they once were.
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