Max Verstappen has revealed he is relying on painkillers to manage severe back pain caused by the bumpy surface at the Circuit of the Americas, describing the track's bumps as 'unacceptable'.
The Red Bull driver, who has long struggled with the physical toll of the Austin circuit's shifting soil, voiced his frustrations before even taking to the track this weekend.
Verstappen's 'unacceptable' complaints
"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 said.
He detailed the extreme forces his body endures, noting: "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."
Verstappen acknowledged the damage is partly a consequence of his racing career, adding: "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."
Painkillers and spinal damage
After Friday's practice sessions, Verstappen admitted his fears were realised, saying: "At turns 1 and 19, every time before I get there, I kind of lift myself out of my seat. Otherwise, it's just impossible to deal with."
He confessed to taking tablets for the pain, chuckling as he told Dutch broadcaster Viaplay: "Yeah, pop the pills!" He added: "We try to suppress it. When I see certain people in their sport and how they have to live afterwards, I think, 'I'm glad I don't do that sport'. Normally, being on painkillers all weekend shouldn't be part of Formula 1 either."
Verstappen revealed that scans taken due to pain in his feet uncovered the underlying issue in his back. "At one point, we had a few scans done because I'd also sometimes had a lot of pain in my feet over the past few years," he said.
Long-term impact
The problem lies in the discs in his lower back, which have lost their natural protection through wear. "There's nothing left there – it's just grey. These are things people don't often think about. We have to deal with them too, of course," Verstappen said.
Ahead of the weekend, he joked he will "probably need to order a new spine" after another year of racing in Austin, but his comments highlight the persistent physical strain drivers face on the bumpy Texas circuit.
