Max Verstappen says the bumps on the track hosting this weekend's United States Grand Prix are "unacceptable" and "out of control". The track is built on former marshland, which has made it difficult for organisers to keep it in good condition, but the four-time champion rejected that as an excuse not to address 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," Verstappen said.
He said he experienced vertical loads of over 9G on his spine in a corner last year, which he described as "really not fun", and warned the problem could worsen this year. Under the latest regulations, cars run lower in corners because the wings close under braking, causing them to drop towards the ground. "You bottom out way harder," Verstappen said. "I can tell you from the checks that I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great."
McLaren's Lando Norris, the world champion, backed Verstappen, saying the tolerances for building a new track are small and this circuit falls far short of them. "It's an old track, not a new track so it's pretty bad," he said, adding that he sometimes needs headache tablets before heading out.
Mercedes driver George Russell took a different view, saying the bumps are part of racing. He argued that F1 tracks probably need to be repaved every couple of years to stay consistent, noting that some circuits now have crumbling tarmac that causes more problems than it solves.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing