Verstappen Calls COTA Bumps Unacceptable After 9G Spine Impacts Before the US Grand Prix

Some links in this guide are affiliate links, if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s our disclosure.

Max Verstappen did not come to Austin to talk about the championship. He came to talk about the track. On Thursday 22 October, with the United States Grand Prix weekend about to begin, the 29-year-old used his media day at the Circuit of the Americas to deliver one of the bluntest track surface warnings of the season. What followed was part medical disclosure, part engineering lecture, and part ultimatum to the circuit. With the race set for Sunday 25 October, here is everything his blast means, and everything else you need for the Austin weekend.

What did Verstappen actually say about the COTA bumps?

He called them "unacceptable" and "out of control", and dismissed the repairs tried so far as "putting a plaster on the big problem". His fullest quote drew a sharp line between the layout, which he loves, and the surface, which he does not: "I love this track... it's one of the best layouts ever... But for me the bumps are unacceptable... putting a plaster on the big problem... these bumps are not natural and they are out of control."

The personal part hit harder. "I can tell you from the checks I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great." Then came the number that made the paddock sit up: "last year, for example, you pull around 5-6G in a corner, but I had some impacts, the vertical load, which was like over 9G on my spine." He added that he watched September's WEC race at COTA and found it "extremely badly bumpy". This was not a moan about comfort. It was a driver putting his medical data on the record.

Why is COTA so bumpy in the first place?

Because the ground underneath it never sits still. The Circuit of the Americas was built on former marshland, and the clay soil in this part of Texas swells when it gets wet and shrinks when it dries out. That constant movement works its way up through the layers beneath the asphalt and leaves the racing surface uneven, however smooth it was on opening day. It is a ground engineering problem, not a sweeping or maintenance issue. Rain in Texas arrives in heavy bursts, long dry spells then bake the ground hard, and every cycle shifts the earth a little more. The result is a track that changes shape between visits, which is exactly why temporary fixes keep failing.

What has COTA tried before to fix the bumps?

The circuit has not ignored the problem. The record shows grinding work in 2020 to shave down the worst of the bumps, followed by resurfacing attempts in 2024. Each round bought some relief, and each round was eventually undone by the same moving ground. That cycle is precisely what Verstappen means by "putting a plaster on the big problem": smooth the top layer, watch the earth move again, repeat. September's WEC round gave him fresh ammunition, after he watched those cars bouncing around and judged the race "extremely badly bumpy". The timeline shows how long this fight has been running.

What does 9G of vertical load actually mean?

It means the hardest hits of last year's race were far beyond anything the car puts through a driver in corners. Verstappen's figure was over 9G of vertical load on his spine, against the 5 to 6G drivers feel in fast corners. The direction matters as much as the number. Cornering load pushes a driver sideways into the seat, a direction the cockpit, the headrest and the body are all braced to handle. A vertical impact travels straight up through the seat and into the spine, with almost no give, at the instant the car slams across a bump. Engineers build crash structures around loads like that; drivers are not supposed to absorb them lap after lap. That is why his scan comment lands so heavily: "I can tell you from the checks I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great." He named no medical condition, and nobody should invent one for him. But a 29-year-old athlete volunteering that his lower back already shows damage turns a surface debate into a health debate.

Is Verstappen injured, and will he race on Sunday?

Nothing he said points to him missing the race. He gave no diagnosis, named no injury, and gave no hint he would sit out Sunday. His message was a demand for a proper fix, not a withdrawal notice. The form book backs that reading: he has won the last two races, in Malaysia and Singapore, and he arrives in Austin fourth in the standings on 221 points, still very much in the fight. What changes the conversation is a driver of his standing putting numbers and scan results on the record in public. That raises the pressure on the circuit to respond, and it gives every other driver on the grid cover to say the same thing.

What would a proper fix look like, and why has it not happened?

Verstappen spelled out the scale himself: the real fix means opening up the entire track. That is not a resurfacing job. It means digging down to the shifting clay, rebuilding the foundations and the drainage so the ground stops moving, and relaying the surface on top. It would cost major time and major money, and it would shut the circuit for a long stretch. COTA runs a packed calendar, so a long closure means cancelled events and lost revenue across the year. That is the stalemate the sport is stuck in: grinding and resurfacing keep the show on the road each season, the ground keeps moving underneath, and the drivers keep taking the hits. Verstappen's argument is that the bill for a proper fix is now smaller than the cost of doing nothing, measured in drivers' backs.

Can Antonelli win the championship in Austin?

Yes, mathematically, but the door is barely open. Antonelli leads the standings on 340 points, ahead of Russell on 238, Hamilton on 229 and Verstappen on 221. He seals the title in Austin only if all three of these happen together: he wins the race, Russell finishes 9th or lower, and Hamilton finishes 5th or lower. If any one of them misses, the fight rolls on to Mexico. With 125 points still available after Austin, the margins are tight enough that the countback matters, and it favours Antonelli: his 9 wins against Russell's maximum possible 8. If the improbable happens on Sunday, the history books get rewritten twice. He would become the youngest world champion ever, beating the record held by Vettel at 23 years and 134 days, and the first Italian champion since Ascari in 1953.

What is the weather forecast for the race?

Sky Sports' forecast notes a 50 percent chance of rain for Sunday's race. Treat that as a forecast, not a promise: Austin weather can turn inside 48 hours, and the number will move before lights out. But if rain does arrive, it changes the whole weekend. A wet track over these bumps means less grip across the crests, standing water in the dips, and a far smaller margin for error at full speed. It would also scramble the competitive order, which is exactly what the chasing pack wants with Antonelli on the brink. Watch the forecast through Saturday evening; qualifying may be a dry-weather affair while Sunday turns into something very different.

When does the action start, wherever you are?

Austin runs on Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-5), and this is a normal non-sprint weekend: three practice sessions, qualifying on Saturday, and the 56-lap race on Sunday. Pakistan is 10 hours ahead of Austin, so the evening sessions in Texas become late-night viewing in Karachi. UK viewers should note that London's clocks go back on Sunday morning, moving from BST to GMT; the times below already reflect the change. Lights out is 15:00 local time on Sunday 25 October, which is 01:00 on Monday in Pakistan, 20:00 on Sunday in London, 21:00 in Berlin and 16:00 in New York.

How much does it cost to watch from the stands?

Demand is clearly strong. USA Today's resale data for the weekend shows Friday tickets from $64, Saturday from $176, and Sunday from $471, with two-day passes from $818 and three-day passes from $806. The eye-catching mover is Sunday: general admission was below $400 earlier in the week and has now climbed past $471, a sign of how the title storyline is pulling in the crowds. Remember these are resale prices, so they will keep shifting with demand, weather and results through the weekend. If you are buying, use a reputable resale outlet and check exactly what is included: grandstand seats, general admission banking and parking are very different experiences at COTA.

Resale data via USA Today; resale prices move with demand.

How can fans in the United States watch the race?

US viewers have a new home for Formula 1: Apple TV holds a five-year exclusive US streaming deal, as reported by MacObserver. For viewers in the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, check local listings for race coverage. Broadcast details for those countries were not verified for this article, so no networks are named here.

What comes after Austin?

Whatever happens on Sunday, the season does not end in Texas. Five rounds remain after Austin: Mexico on 1 November, Sao Paulo on 8 November, Las Vegas on 21 November, Qatar on 29 November, and the finale in Abu Dhabi on 6 December. That is 125 points still to play for. If Antonelli leaves Austin without the title sealed, the pressure only builds from here, with every remaining weekend a match point he has to survive. And if the bumps debate follows the paddock out of Texas, expect it to get louder rather than quieter.

Sources: Sky Sports F1, The Times, TSN, Speedcafe, USA Today, NBC Sports.