Max Verstappen has revealed he is having to take painkillers to deal with the “impossible” bumps on the track that hosts the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver described the track condition at the Circuit of the Americas as being “unacceptable” and “out of control” ahead of this weekend’s race in Austin.
Having joked that he would need a new spine to get through the race, Verstappen opened up about the true extent of the issues he is facing, including suffering from pain with discs in his lower back.
"I've had a few scans done and you can see it in certain discs at the bottom of the back there's nothing left there," Verstappen told ViaPlay after being beaten to pole position in qualifying.
Verstappen qualified second for Sunday's United States Grand Prix
"Before Turn 1 and Turn 19 I lift myself out of the seat before I get there, otherwise it's simply impossible. I'm getting the pills in to manage.”
Reigning world champion Lando Norris revealed he is taking headache tablets as a precaution.
"Turn 19 is pretty horrible," Norris said. "I feel like we're in F1, we should be able to do something, but they don't, so you have to live with it.
“I've been taking headache tablets before every session. It's what I have to deal with, maybe other people don't have the same issues, but I have to, otherwise I can't drive properly."
McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri warned that a bump at Turn 1 could become an overtaking hazard in the race, likening it to a “motocross jump”.
Reigning world champion Norris is taking headache tablets
"The majority of the track is probably better than what it has been in previous years,” the Australian said.
"But the bump into Turn 1 is a bit like a motocross jump. And the one into Turn 19 is not that much better.
"So, in qualifying it's not too bad because you brake after the bump. But in the race tomorrow, you're braking right on that bump. Especially if you're overtaking someone into Turn 1.”
However, Lewis Hamilton dismissed the concerns raised by some of his fellow drivers.
"People are complaining, I'm 42 [41] and my back is fine," the seven-time world champion said.
"It is bumpy, but I think it's OK ... I personally like the bumps, I think it adds character to the track, it feels flat and I love the challenge of that.
“The car is moving and you have to correct it, in a perfect world it would be a flat track, but then there would be lacking character. I think that's what gives this track that little bit more, it's already a great layout, but the bumps give it a bit more.”
COTA circuit boss Bobby Epstein insisted the track is “in really good shape” other than Turn 1 in response to Verstappen’s complaints.
"We don't feel good that there's a bump at the bottom of Turn 1," Epstein told ESPN. "We didn't know about it until this week. We would have fixed it. But the other things Max spoke about, all the bumps around the track, we've fixed them. The track is in really good shape.
"I talked to some WEC drivers who said there's no problem. There's one bump at the beginning of [Turn] 1 that is not acceptable in my mind ... It's a dip, not a bump. If it were a bump, we'd sharpen it out, we'd take care of it tomorrow night, or overnight tonight, and that kind of stuff's happened before [at other circuits]. But when it's a dip it's a lot different, there's no easy fix."
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.