Thousands of racing fans – and almost as many cowboy hats — descended upon Austin, Texas, this weekend for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix hosted by Circuit of the Americas, which featured high-energy performances from Kygo, Garth Brooks and more big-name artists.
The Norwegian DJ was the first to take the main stage on the COTA grounds, performing Friday night (Oct. 17) just a few hours after the first sprint of race weekend, which Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won. Kygo delivered an electric showcase complete with colorful laser lights and pyrotechnics, packing his set with remixed versions of cross-generational hits programmed to make the swarm of racing fans crowded onto the track beneath the stage dance.
The next day, Brooks closed out an action-packed itinerary that began with a sprint race and ended with an intense qualifying session, which determined the starting grid for the big race the following day — and saw Verstappen once again taking pole position. The country superstar’s set was vastly different from Kygo’s EDM sound and light show, but still equally exciting, with Brooks singing many of his classics in addition to a cover of Bob Seger’s ’70s rock staple “Turn the Page.”
At one point, the musician decided that his guitar wasn’t up to snuff — so he chose one lucky fan in the crowd to take it off his hands. “Where’s that kid?” he asked before locating a grade-school-age boy he’d spotted earlier watching the show from atop a guardian’s shoulders.
Brooks then gave the guitar off his back to a person in the front row so that they could pass it back to the young fan, who certainly won’t forget the experience any time soon. (“I’m going to need that back,” Brooks joked a few minutes later.)
None of the days, however, were higher stakes than Sunday (Oct. 19) — the day of the actual Grand Prix. After two hours of high-speed, eardrum-bursting laps around the winding track, Verstappen proved victorious, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishing in second and third, respectively. And to celebrate the end of an action-packed weekend, the Turnpike Troubadours closed out the weekend’s musical events with a rootsy, boot-stomping set in the COTA amphitheater, which was filled up with the most dedicated music fans who’d already braved hours under the sun to watch the race but stayed for the finale performance anyways.
The annual event – which is one of three Grand Prix races in the U.S. in the F1 season – just keeps getting bigger, as demonstrated by the A-list musical acts who showed up in 2025 to perform, as well as the event’s star-studded guest list, which featured the likes of Shaboozey and Adele. Leaders of the sport have been actively seeking to expand its cultural presence in America by turning race weekends into full-blown festival events, filling the days up with musical offerings big and small.
On Sunday, for instance, F1 debuted Grid Gigs, a brand-new pre-race concert series, featuring Texas native Drake Milligan as the first-ever headliner. Shortly before performing on the actual race track right by the finish line, just minutes before the Grand Prix began, the rising country star (who will release new album Tumbleweed on Nov. 7) told Billboard that F1 is “such a worldwide sport — that’s why it’s so cool to be here.”
“It’s cool to be in my home state doing something like this,” he continued. “I’m kind of representing Texas in a way, you know? So many fans all around the world now watch F1 … it’s not a country music fanbase, necessarily. But I’m hoping I can introduce some of them to country music. It’s a huge honor.”
Drake Milligan performs on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 19, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Mark Sutton/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Grid Gigs will return in November when F1 circles back to the States for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is the third and final U.S. race of the season. (The first took place in Miami in May). Other performers lined up for Sin City include Zedd, MGK and T-Pain.
And while the performances in Austin made for great entertainment for spectators in between the race activities, some of the drivers also shared how much they personally enjoy having music integrated into Grand Prix weekends.
“[Drivers] don’t get many opportunities to go and see artists or go to festivals or do stuff like that, because we have very busy schedules,” Liam Lawson, who would place 11th for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls on Sunday, told Billboard in the paddock. “But I think it’s very cool … [Music] is something that I’m passionate about, so I enjoy it a lot … You come to a Formula 1 race and, as much as the cars are awesome and seeing the racing is great, it’s something else, and that’s a part of the event. It probably brings in new people and a wider range of audience, and it makes the weekends much more enjoyable as well.”
“It’s amazing,” added Williams Racing’s Alex Albon, who placed 14th. “The whole thing is a show. It’s entertainment, and I think if you can get these huge stars coming to these races, it just makes the weekend and the day so much better.”
