Lando Norris has backed Max Verstappen as he says the bumps at some Formula 1 circuits, including the Circuit of the Americas, are so bad that he takes headache tablets before he starts driving.
Having watched the World Endurance Championship race at COTA, Verstappen joked that he would "need to order a new spine after the weekend, or become like Robocop". On the Thursday ahead of the Austin race, the Dutchman was increasingly critical of the track. When Norris was asked shortly after, he supported his rival's opinion.
“Well, I would say yes. I mean, if you build a new track now the FIA... 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, let’s say, but it’s an old track, not a new track - it’s pretty bad.”
He explained further just how difficult it can be.
“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.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
"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 right. Certainly right.”
COTA’s surface has been a long-running issue since F1 first raced there in 2012. After winning in Austin in 2023, Verstappen said the bumps were “not F1 level”, and circuit chairman Bobby Epstein promised at the time to fix the worst areas. In 2024, the whole track was resurfaced, and work has been done this year to remedy the worst of it between Turn 9 and Turn 11.
Mercedes’ George Russell also spoke about the bumps in Austin, calling them “part of racing” but arguing that F1 tracks should be resurfaced “every couple of years”. He said the cars run just 10mm off the ground at the end of the straights, and that the smaller sidewalls of the 18-inch tyres mean drivers feel every bump.
F1 has a contract to race at COTA until 2034, after a new deal was agreed last year.
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