Ahead of the 2026 F1 United States GP, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen expressed concerns over the potential long-term spinal damage drivers risk from driving over “out of control” bumps at tracks like Austin’s Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The four-time world champion even revealed results from a medical check of his own spine.
Max Verstappen highlights health risks F1 drivers face due to bumps at tracks like COTA
During a print media session on Thursday at COTA previewing the 2026 F1 United States GP weekend, Verstappen admitted he was not excited about the race around the circuit but not because of the layout. The Dutchman referenced the World Endurance Championship (WEC)’s Lone Star Le Mans in early September, noting that COTA’s track surface appeared “extremely badly bumpy”.
“And then, yeah, just see also the track state. What I saw in WEC, it was extremely badly bumpy, so I’m not really looking forward to that to be honest, for your spine.”
Verstappen stressed that the bumps around COTA were no laughing matter as he lamented that nothing was done despite the grid bringing up their concerns last year at the 2025 F1 United States GP. The 29-year-old added that he was unsure how his Red Bull would respond to the uneven surface.
“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, in places where it’s just extremely bumpy. So, also that again, I don’t know how our car is going to respond to that.”
Current F1 cars will only make the experience worse
Verstappen then explained how the current F1 cars will make the experience of driving over the bumps at COTA significantly worse. According to the Dutchman, the current F1 cars’ active aerodynamic framework utilises a low-drag Straight Mode (SM), which means cars also run lower. This makes the experience of driving over the bumps more violent and uncomfortable. The majority of these bumps are also featured “on the braking or in the corner,” which only worsens the impact.
“It’s probably worse, because we have very low ride heights in cornering. Because on the straights, you have the SM mode, so you go up. So in most places on the braking, especially, you actually bottom more than before. Because most of the bumps are on the braking or in the corner, not on the actual straight.”
Call for removal of bumps around COTA
The infamous bumps around COTA are primarily caused by unstable clay soil found below the race track. Since the track’s debut in 2012, environmental factors such as rain and heat, as well as the many cars and bikes that race there yearly, have exacerbated the bumps.
Verstappen lamented the poor maintenance of the track, adding that engineers should have anticipated this issue when building the track back in 2012. The four-time world champion reflected that the current yearly maintenance routine of shaving down the bumps and overlaying fresh asphalt was merely “putting a plaster on the big problem”.
He urged for an actual resolution of the track surface issue at COTA as it is one of his favourite venues on the F1 calendar regardless of the bump issue.
“But yeah, it’s very bad. And of course, 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. I mean, I love this track. I love this place. Like, it’s one of the best layouts ever. And it’s one of the, I would say, best venues, best city to be at. But for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable. And I mean, over time, they’ve been grinding a little bit here and there. But it’s just putting a plaster on the big problem. And that’s just what’s coming underneath. And that’s what you need to actually tackle in the first place.
“But that, of course, means you need to really fully open up the track. That costs a lot of money and time. But honestly, that’s the only way to get rid of it. Because these bumps are not natural, and they are out of control.”
The detrimental physical effect of constantly driving over the bumps
As explained by Verstappen, a year prior during the 2025 F1 United States GP, the impact of the G-force he pulled was greatly exaggerated on his spine. This made it extremely uncomfortable to drive around the bumps of COTA, something he believes will only get worse as he grows older.
He then highlighted how the physical impact heightened the stress drivers felt while driving around the track. The ever-changing nature of the “awkward bumps” around COTA also meant F1 teams and drivers could not predict them.
“Well, so last year, for example, you pull 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. Yeah, that’s not what you want. And with these cars, especially under braking, you bottom out way harder, because when the wings close and then the right hand comes down, under braking, it’s like actually a very stressful moment.
“I know around here in some places, it’s very bumpy under braking. And especially when it’s like these kinds of awkward bumps, not just bumps from the track getting older, 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 here sometimes.”
Verstappen shares health concerns
The four-time F1 world champion then shared how the bumps around tracks like COTA have personally impacted him, revealing the results of a spinal checkup. Verstappen added that while he understood it was ” part of racing”, he strongly believed that the health and wellbeing of the drivers should still be a priority.
“So, yeah, it’s really not nice. And that’s, 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 aren’t going to suffer with that much more. But people can say, yeah, but there are worse sports out there for damage to parts of your body, for sure. But that’s why I’m not doing them.”
Lando Norris on violent helmet vibrations caused by bumps on COTA track
McLaren‘s Lando Norris agreed with Verstappen’s views on the bumps around the COTA track. As the Briton shared, the COTA circuit would not fit the current strict regulations newer tracks have to comply with.
The reigning F1 champion reflected that the bumps were “pretty bad” as he admitted the tracks like COTA induced hits against the cockpit headrest. To counter this, Norris revealed he routinely took “headache tablets” ahead of the races at such venues.
“Well, I would say yes. I mean, 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. 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.
“So yeah, 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 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. So it’s something we’ve brought up many, many times, but there’s only so much we can complain about things. But he’s right, certainly.”
George Russell calls for changes in track maintenance regulations
When asked about his opinion on Verstappen’s statement regarding the bumps around the COTA circuit, Mercedes’ George Russell responded: “Yeah, it’s bumpy, but it’s just part of racing.”
The Briton, similar to Verstappen, stressed the importance of track maintenance. Russell shared that the F1 tracks should routinely be repaved fully to avoid the presence of bumps like at COTA.
He added that there have been too many race weekends where drivers had to deal with tarmac breaking apart. In the 2026 F1 season alone, drivers have noted tarmac breaking apart on two occasions in Monaco and Hungary.
“Yeah, I’d say my general view is F1 tracks probably need to be repaved every couple of years just to make it a bit more consistent. Because we’re going to tracks now where tarmac is coming up, it’s falling apart, it’s causing more issues than not.”
As explained by Russell, F1 cars run just 10mm off the track surface at high speed. Hence, F1 drivers can feel every bump around the COTA circuit, which explains the physical discomfort Verstappen noted.
“You know, we’re not an IndyCar or an F2 car that runs low ride heights, reasonably high, you know. Our ride heights are 10mm at the end of the straight. You know, a centimetre from the ground, so any tiny bump, you know, you really feel it. And the side profile of the tyres now, since we’ve been at the 18-inch, is substantially smaller. You know, the circumference of the tyre is the same. The circumference of the rim is far greater, so you’ve lost all of that effective suspension in the tyre, which was a damper, which we kind of don’t have anymore. So, yeah, not ideal, but not much we can do.”
