Max Verstappen has called for a complete relaying of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) track, warning that the circuit's severe bumps pose a risk of long-term spinal damage to drivers. The Red Bull driver raised the issue during media day in Austin, ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
Verstappen acknowledged his fondness for the venue but stressed that the track's condition is unacceptable. He told reporters: "I love this track, I love this place. It's one of the best layouts ever and it's one of the best venues, best cities to be at. But for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable."
Verstappen's Health Concerns
The Dutch driver detailed the physical toll the circuit takes, citing medical checks that revealed concerning findings. "Last year, you pulled around 5-6G in a corner, but I had some impacts like vertical load, which was like over 9G on my spine, which I can tell you is really not fun. And especially the older you get you think about that more and more. I can tell you from the checks that I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great," he said.
Verstappen acknowledged that such impacts are part of racing but argued that continued acceptance could lead to greater suffering. He added: "I know that's part of racing, that can be part of sport, but it's also further damage from the cars that we had the last few years, and now if we continue finding this acceptable to drive on you are going to suffer with that much more."
Calls for Full Track Relay
Verstappen dismissed partial fixes, insisting that only a comprehensive resurfacing project would solve the problem. "You can use the excuse that the soil is the problem, but then you should have known that and you need to make sure that you reinforce it more. Over time they've been grinding a little bit here and there, but you're just putting a plaster on the big problem," he explained.
He continued: "That's just what's coming underneath. That's what you need to actually tackle in the first place. But that means you need to really fully open up the track. That costs a lot of money and time but, honestly, that's the only way to get rid of it because these bumps are not natural and they are out of control."
Drivers Back Verstappen's Stance
Lando Norris supported Verstappen's position, revealing that the bumps cause more than just spinal discomfort. The McLaren driver said: "The rules, the regulation of building a new track, the tolerances you have to be within are pretty small. It certainly doesn't fit anywhere close to what those regulations are now. It's an old track, not a new track – it's pretty bad."
Norris added: "There's a lot of places I need to take headache tablets before I go out, simply because it's so bumpy and you're hitting your head pretty hard against the headrests and things because of the bumps, so it's certainly not a nice thing." He noted that drivers frequently complain but have limited ability to effect change, saying: "But there's not much we can do. I mean, we complain about it, so it's certainly brought up many, many times, but there's only so much we can complain about things. But he's certainly right."
George Russell also agreed with the calls for action, suggesting that promoters should be required to resurface F1 circuits "every couple of years" to maintain standards. COTA has a contract to host an annual race up to and including 2034.
