Ahead of the Austin Formula 1 race, Max Verstappen warned that drivers could suffer more spinal damage if bumps like those at Circuit of the Americas remain unaddressed. He called the track’s bumps “unacceptable,” though he praised its layout, The Race reports.
The Race reports that the track underwent major resurfacing in 2022. Ahead of this year’s race, the stretch from the entry of Turn 9 to the entry of Turn 11 was resurfaced, and the entries of Turns 12 and 19 were smoothed. Verstappen called grinding the surface “a plaster on the big problem” and argued that addressing what lies underneath would require opening up the track.
Verstappen says the latest F1 cars run lower in corners and bottom out more under braking than their 2022-2025 ground-effect predecessors. Many of the bumps are in braking zones or corners rather than on straights, he told RACER. He said that last year, some vertical impacts put more than 9G of load on his spine, compared with about 5G to 6G of load in a corner. He also said checks of his spine showed that its lower end “doesn’t look that great.”
Lando Norris agreed with Verstappen. Norris told RACER that at “a lot of places” he takes headache tablets before driving because the bumps make his head hit the headrest. He said drivers have raised the issue many times but can only complain so much.
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