LANDO NORRIS BACKS MAX VERSTAPPEN OVER COTA BUMPS, REVEALS HEADACHE TABLET USE

Lando Norris confirmed what Max Verstappen has been saying all week: the Circuit of the Americas is rough enough to require pharmaceutical intervention. The McLaren driver revealed he pops headache tablets before sessions at several circuits on the calendar, including Austin, where bumps slam his head against the headrest hard enough to need prophylactic relief.

Verstappen joked after watching the WEC race at COTA that he'd need a new spine. Norris wasn't laughing. "It's pretty bad," he said, noting that if the track were built today it would fail FIA tolerance standards for new surfaces. The circuit was fully resurfaced in 2024 and patched again this year between Turn 9 and Turn 11, but the fixes haven't solved the problem.

George Russell echoed the concern, arguing tracks should be resurfaced every few years. With F1 locked into COTA through 2034, that timeline might need to accelerate—unless the American paddock wants drivers medicating just to make it through the weekend.