Max Verstappen has said Formula 1 drivers risk long-term damage from venues with “out of control” bumps like Austin’s Circuit of the Americas (COTA), citing a concerning recent X-ray he’s seen of his own back.
After winning the last race in Singapore, Verstappen quipped that he will “probably need a new spine” ahead of the next race, Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion went back to that topic on Thursday during a media session previewing the race, stressing that it was no laughing matter.
“It was extremely badly bumpy,” Verstappen said on watching a World Endurance Championship (WEC) race at the circuit earlier this year. “So I’m not really looking forward to that, to be honest, for your spine.
“You know, I was joking about that, of course, in the last race. But it’s not really a joke to be honest. Because we mentioned this already for years that it’s actually getting a bit out of control. And I’m sure that tomorrow is going to be quite tough to find the right compromises around this track [with set-up].”
Verstappen elaborated just how extreme the bumps can be at high speed.
He added: “So last year, for example, you pull around 5, 6G [-force] 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.
“That’s not what you want. And with these cars, especially under braking, you bottom out way harder because when the wings close and the right hand comes down, under braking, it’s actually a very stressful moment. And I know around here, in some places, it’s very bumpy under braking.
“And especially when it’s like these kind of awkward bumps, not just bumps from the track getting colder, but just going, I don’t know, the surface underneath the soil just moving up and down. Sometimes very hard to expect, or if you’re like a tiny bit offline, you don’t know what is there because no one really drives there sometimes. So, yeah, it’s really not nice.
“And I think sometimes people don’t really understand that. Because, yeah, I can tell you from the checks that I’ve done from my spine, the bottom end doesn’t look that great, the spine. So I know that’s part of racing. I know that can be part of sport, but it’s, of course, also further damage from the cars that we had the last few years. And now if we continue with driving, or finding this acceptable to drive on, then, yeah, you are going to suffer with that much more. And people can say, yeah, but there are worse sports out there for damage to parts of your body, for sure.”
Other drivers echoed Verstappen’s opinions on the bumpy track.
When Verstappen’s comments were put to reigning world champion Lando Norris, he said circuits should be held to higher standards when it comes to track smoothness.
Norris revealed it is so extreme at some places he’s been forced to take headache tablets to counteract the pain.
“I would say yes,” he said on whether he agreed with Verstappen. “If you build a new track now, the rules, the regulation of building a new track, the tolerances you have to be within are pretty small. [COTA] certainly doesn’t fit anywhere close to what those regulations are now, I’m going to say, but it’s an old track, not a new track.
“I mean, it’s pretty bad, like, there’s a lot of places I need to take headache tablets before I go out, simply because it’s so bumpy and, 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. But there’s not much we can do.
“I mean, we complain about it, it’s stuff we brought up many, many times, but there’s only so much we can complain about things.
“But he’s certainly right.”