MAX VERSTAPPEN SLAMS “UNACCEPTABLE” BUMPS AT AUSTIN F1 TRACK: “IT'S OUT OF CONTROL”

Verstappen isn't joking anymore about COTA's bumps. What started as a quip about needing a new spine in Singapore has turned into a blunt condemnation of the Austin track's condition. The Red Bull driver calls it "unacceptable" and "out of control," rejecting the excuse that Texas' high-plasticity clay soil makes the problem inevitable. If the soil's the issue, he says, the circuit should have been built to handle it from the start.

Grinding down bumps is a Band-Aid. Verstappen wants the track fully torn up and the foundation fixed — expensive and time-consuming, but the only real solution. The 2026 regulations won't help. Lower ride heights under braking mean drivers will bottom out harder, and most of COTA's bumps live in the braking zones. Verstappen logged over 9G vertical impacts on his spine last year, and after 11 seasons in F1, his lower back is already compromised. He loves the layout and the city, but American fans shouldn't expect drivers to wreck their bodies for it.