MAX VERSTAPPEN REACTS TO COTA BOSS: "HE CAN DRIVE MY CAR, AFTER FIVE LAPS HE WON'T BE ABLE TO WALK"

Max Verstappen isn't backing down on COTA's bumps — and he's got a challenge for track boss Bobby Epstein. After the circuit chairman told ESPN the track's "in really good shape" and suggested Verstappen would change his tune after practice, the four-time champion fired back: drive the RB22 for five laps and "you won't be able to walk anymore."

The issue runs deeper than complaints. Verstappen's on painkillers all weekend, Lando Norris needs headache tablets for every session, and drivers nearly lost it through the high-speed Esses. The culprit is Texas' high-plasticity clay — it shrinks and swells, wrecking any surface laid on top. COTA resurfaced the entire track two years ago and patched sections before this race, but Verstappen calls it "putting a plaster over the problem."

His fix: rip it all up and rebuild the foundation. For a US race that's supposed to showcase F1 to American fans, rattling drivers' spines into submission isn't the look Austin needs.