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From Marvel superheroes and Hollywood couples to Olympic champions, music stars and the possibility of Kim Kardashian joining Lewis Hamilton again, Austin’s United States Grand Prix once again showed that Formula 1’s biggest stories extended far beyond the track.
Sophie Cunningham, the Indiana Fever basketball star, waved the chequered flag as Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli crossed the finish line to win the 2026 United States Grand Prix. The ceremonial role gave the WNBA player one of the weekend’s most visible moments, as Antonelli celebrated a victory that further strengthened his position in the championship. Texas Senator Ted Cruz presented the winner’s trophy during the podium ceremony, adding another high-profile appearance to the race’s closing moments.
In Austin, even the guest list had horsepower. As Formula 1 arrived in Texas, racing met red-carpet glamour, country music rubbed shoulders with Hollywood, and the paddock became one of the most fascinating places to see and be seen. The 2026 United States Grand Prix delivered a glamorous mix of team-hosted VIPs, international sporting champions, influential creators and live music.
Marvel brought a superhero flavour to Williams, with American actors Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez attending on Sunday. Mackie, who plays Captain America, and Ramirez, known as Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, were part of Williams’ wider Marvel collaboration across race week. Audi welcomed American actor Charles Melton, acclaimed for May December and Riverdale, on Sunday, while Jalen Thomas Brooks, known for The Pitt and Walker, visited on Friday.
Mercedes welcomed American actor Gavin Casalegno, the breakout star of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Alpine hosted American actress Lindsey Morgan, best known for The 100, throughout the weekend. Sunday brought a particularly appealing homecoming: Austin-born Glen Powell, star of Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, arrived with his partner, American actress Michelle Randolph, known for 1923 and Landman. Both were guests of Red Bull Racing, adding a Hollywood-couple moment to the Texas spectacle.
American actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key, best known for Key & Peele and roles in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, was also spotted in the COTA paddock on Saturday. His appearance added another recognisable Hollywood face to an already star-studded weekend.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay attended with his family, including daughter Tilly Ramsay as the operator of high-end hospitality suite Gordon Ramsay at F1 Garage. Asked about Antonelli’s title potential, he predicted that the young Mercedes star would “keep it for Mexico next weekend”. Looking ahead to the next Grand Prix, Ramsay also offered a glimpse of the culinary experience he had in mind, naming “a wonderful T-bone steak” as his predicted signature dish for Mexico.
American entrepreneur and reality-TV superstar Kim Kardashian remained a major talking point amid speculation about her relationship with British Ferrari superstar Lewis Hamilton. Their recent appearances together, including in Singapore, had fuelled international interest, making Austin a natural focus for further attention.
“My girlfriend’s kids, I love spending time with them,” said Hamilton, speaking on the Austin Fan Stage, and offering a rare glimpse into his personal life. “She’s got four, so I’m getting to play with these kids.”
Hamilton also revealed that he had bought them a golden retriever puppy named Halo, explaining: “I got them a dog this year, so little Halo is a new member of that family.” The puppy’s name offers a fitting motorsport connection, echoing the Halo, the protective safety structure fitted above the cockpit of modern Formula 1 cars.
Whilst Hamilton did not give the name of his girlfriend or the kids, it is worth noting that Kardashian has four children with her former husband, North, 13, Saint, 10, Chicago, 8, and Psalm, 7. The revelations added a personal dimension to the growing interest in Hamilton’s life beyond racing, highlighting how celebrity relationships can capture almost as much attention as the Grand Prix itself.
Austin’s soundtrack was just as varied as its guest list. The pre-race entertainment brought a distinctly Texan flavour to the grid, blending local spirit, sporting tradition and a spectacular military flyover.
The Spurs Hype Squad, the energetic performance team associated with the San Antonio Spurs basketball franchise, opened the pre-race show, bringing its signature arena-style excitement to the Grand Prix crowd. They were also seen to enjoy taking selfies with Formula 1’s international TV personalities. The Texas Longhorn Band took to the grid, adding the unmistakable sound and pageantry of the University of Texas at Austin’s renowned marching band.
Thirteen-year-old London Koi Jones impressed teams and drivers with her performance of the United States national anthem, accompanied by the Lone Star Navy Junior Reserve Patrol Training Corps (JRPTC) Colour Guard. At the anthem’s crescendo, two B-1 aircraft performed a dramatic flyover, while coloured-smoke pyrotechnics across the paddock building roof spectacularly marked its conclusion.
Music also carried a more personal connection to motorsport through DJ Anna De Ferran, daughter of the late Gil de Ferran, the celebrated Brazilian racing driver and Indianapolis 500 winner who also served as McLaren’s sporting director. Her presence behind the decks brought an emotional family link to a weekend that celebrated the close relationship between racing and entertainment.
Friday night belonged to American pop-rock band Maroon 5, fronted by Adam Levine, whose global solo hits include Sugar and Moves Like Jagger. Their headline performance at COTA provided a high-energy start to the weekend.
On Saturday, American superstar Post Malone took over with his genre-blending mix of hip-hop, pop and country. Sunday’s post-race celebration featured Swedish DJ Alesso, whose electronic anthems brought the weekend to a festival-style close.
COTA’s wider ‘The American Soundtrack’ programme featured more than 20 acts across multiple stages, including Austin-born singer-songwriter Gina Chavez, rock and soul performers Nakia & the Never Not Now, and country favourites Mayeux & Broussard. Other acts included Carrie Rodriguez, Los Alcos and Jennifer Foster & the Audacity, adding local flavour to the international headliners.
Away from the main stages, Canadian country singer Orville Peck, famous for his masked cowboy persona and deep baritone, performed at “An Evening with House 44” at The Paddock Bar at Sagebrush on Friday as a guest of F1. American country singer Kameron Marlowe, who rose to prominence after The Voice, performed there on Friday and in House 44 on Saturday, also as an F1 guest.
Texas-born country and Americana singer-songwriter Presley Haile, an emerging voice in contemporary Texas music signed to Columbia Records, also performed at “An Evening with House 44” on Friday and attended as an F1 guest on Sunday. On Sunday, American pop-rock band Train, known for hits including Drops of Jupiter and Hey, Soul Sister, joined the F1 guest programme.
The paddock also welcomed sporting excellence from athletes who know a thing or two about performing under pressure. American basketball star and Olympic gold medallist Kelsey Plum, a guest of F1 on Thursday, brought her considerable profile as a scorer and WNBA star to Austin.
Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh, a guest of TAG Heuer throughout the weekend, has won major Olympic and world titles, while Hawaiian-born American surfer Kai Lenny, an impressive ‘waterman’, also hosted by TAG Heuer, is an eight-time SUP world champion renowned for conquering giant waves.
German decathlete Leo Neugebauer, a guest of Red Bull Racing, was among the weekend’s standout sporting personalities. The Olympic silver medallist and German record holder developed his career at the University of Texas before winning silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, followed by World Championship gold in 2025 and European Championship gold in 2026. The Austin connection made his appearance particularly fitting.
Neugebauer also joined Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg for a running and training session, giving the two athletes a chance to share their sporting routines away from the circuit. The pair continued their Austin outing with a drive together in an Audi sports car, creating a memorable crossover between athletics and motorsport.
Former Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo also returned to the Austin F1 scene as a guest away from the cockpit. The eight-time Grand Prix winner was spotted supporting Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson at his musical performance during the weekend’s Garage Sessions event.
Ricciardo also made a surprise musical appearance in Austin, joining American singer-songwriter Rob Baird on stage to play harmonica on a song they had co-written during a road trip. It was a reminder that, even after stepping away from racing, Ricciardo’s charisma and creative interests continue to connect him with F1 fans.
Speed took another form with Australian motocross champions Jett Lawrence and Hunter Lawrence, guests of Red Bull Racing throughout the weekend. Jett has won major AMA titles, while Hunter captured the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Championship. Ferrari welcomed American NBA veteran Harrison Barnes on Sunday, bringing San Antonio basketball connections to the Texas weekend.
Chicago Cubs centre-fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong also visited the McLaren garage as a guest of team CEO Zak Brown, adding baseball to the weekend’s sporting mix. Alpine’s guests included Italian former MotoGP star Andrea Dovizioso, a three-time championship runner-up, and American ultra-endurance athlete Matthew Johnson, an Austin-based runner and triathlete known for extreme challenges.
Mexican football star Javier “Chicharito” Hernández also made a surprise appearance as a guest of Red Bull Racing. The former international striker toured the team’s garage, got a close-up look at its machinery and caught up with Max Verstappen. His visit offered another example of the way Formula 1’s team hospitality attracts sporting personalities from well beyond motorsport.
The weekend also brought a familiar motorsport legend back into the spotlight. Mario Andretti, the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion, was spotted in the paddock and spoke warmly about Kimi Antonelli’s outstanding performance.
“Everyone is cheering for him, even his opponents,” Andretti observed, praising not only the young Italian’s speed but also his attitude. “He represents something very solid for the future”, adding that the Mercedes driver could be proud of himself. The comments captured the admiration Antonelli has earned from across the sport, including from one of its most celebrated former champions.
Other familiar faces included NFL legend Emmitt Smith, the former Dallas Cowboys running back and three-time Super Bowl champion, who attended the race, and prominent Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry, another paddock visitor. Model Rebecca Donaldson, partner of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, was also spotted at COTA, adding a fashion-world connection to the race-day guest list.
Some VIPs had a direct relationship with the championship itself. British comedian and presenter Jack Whitehall, an official Formula 1 ambassador, brought his quick wit to Austin and performed at An Evening with Jack Whitehall at The Paddock Bar at Sagebrush on Saturday. British actor Damson Idris, also an official F1 ambassador, continued his close association with the sport through F1 The Movie, in which he starred opposite Brad Pitt.
Motorsport heritage was represented by three more official F1 ambassadors: French-Swiss former F1 driver Romain Grosjean, whose ten podiums and remarkable recovery after his 2020 Bahrain fireball accident have made him a compelling figure. Also in attendance was the Finnish two-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen, remembered for his McLaren titles in 1998 and 1999; and Danish endurance legend “Mr Le Mans” aka Tom Kristensen, the nine-time winner of the legendary 24-hour race. These former drivers connecting fans with the sport’s personalities, heritage and technical brilliance.
Formula 1’s modern celebrity scene extended well beyond film and sport. American astronaut Reid Wiseman, whose engineering and spaceflight career offered an extraordinary parallel with F1’s technological ambition, is a newly announced Mercedes ambassador. Wiseman, commander of NASA’s Artemis II mission, enjoyed the race and was particularly impressed by Antonelli’s composure.
Speaking to Sky Germany, he described the young driver as “a humble guy” who “loves the game”, adding that he was struck by how calm Antonelli remained before the race.
“I don’t know how he can have such nerves at 20 years old,” Wiseman added. His comments drawing an intriguing parallel between the demands of elite motorsport and those of space exploration, where composure, teamwork and trust in preparation are essential.
British automotive model and creator Callum Mullin and American fashion and travel creator Chelsea Henriquez joined F1 Marketing throughout the weekend, bringing style and digital storytelling into the paddock. Mercedes hosted American automotive creator Mark Dohner and Jordan Sanford, known for cinematic luxury-car content, throughout the event as well as Irish comedian Joanne McNally.
Williams welcomed American fashion creator Linoya Friedman on Friday. As the founder of What People Are Wearing, a global street-style platform known for spontaneous interviews about fashion and personal style, she has developed a prominent voice in digital fashion and was named to the TIME100 Creators 2026 list. Her audience of two million Instagram followers underlined the reach of contemporary fashion content.
Also visiting Williams on Friday was Texas-born American lifestyle and digital creator Emiley Baker, whose beauty, fashion, motivational and personal-vlog content reaches an audience of 152,000 Instagram followers.
Alpine’s all-weekend guest, British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson, famous for Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm, was one of the weekend’s more controversial personalities. During a Sky Sports interview, Clarkson made a joke suggesting that Argentine Alpine driver Franco Colapinto deserved a grid penalty for being Argentinian, referring to the long-running controversy surrounding Clarkson’s 2014 Top Gear trip to Argentina.
The remarks were not well received. Colapinto’s management criticised the comments, and Alpine publicly distanced itself from them, emphasising that the remarks did not reflect the team’s values of kindness and respect and reaffirming its support for its driver. The episode was a reminder that humour in the high-profile world of Formula 1 can sometimes cross a line, particularly when national identity is involved.
Red Bull Racing also added humour through Irish impressionist Conor Moore, who delivered a bizarre yet hilarious rendition of Carlos Sainz’s favourite song, Sade’s Smooth Operator, during a comedy evening, giving the paddock’s entertainment programme an appropriately offbeat musical moment. Known for his viral sporting, and in particular, F1 driver impersonations, Moore brought another dose of humour to the weekend.
McLaren guest Vinh Quang Giang, an award-winning communication coach, motivational speaker and entrepreneur, brought a powerful message to the team’s Austin pre-race hype video: “There’s no ocean we cannot cross. There’s nothing we can’t achieve if we are aligned.” Inspired by a painting his Vietnamese father hung in his childhood home, his words offered a fitting reminder of the teamwork, trust and shared ambition that drive success in Formula 1.
Together, these guests brought racing pedigree, Hollywood glamour and sporting comedy to the teams’ Austin hospitality, while American automotive creator Jordan Sanford and other digital personalities illustrated how social media has become an integral part of the paddock experience.
American podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan was another notable race-day attendee, spotted walking through the pit lane. Known for his enormous podcast audience and longstanding interest in combat sports, Rogan brought a different kind of celebrity presence to COTA, joining the mix of athletes, actors and entertainers drawn to the Grand Prix.
From official ambassadors and team-hosted stars to sporting champions, musicians and the performers who helped bring the grid to life, Austin’s celebrity mix once again reflected Formula 1’s evolution into a global lifestyle phenomenon.
While the racing was still the main event, and the drivers the headline stars, of course, Hollywood was in the garages, music was in the air, a dramatic pre-race spectacle and memorable sporting encounters away from the circuit. These stories beyond the action on the track proved once again that a Grand Prix weekend can be as captivating off the circuit as it is on it.
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