Verstappen warns of physical strain from Austin’s bumps

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen expected Austin’s bumps to make it difficult to find the right set-up compromises on Friday. He said he was not looking forward to the strain on his spine. Based on what he had seen in the WEC, he described the circuit as extremely bumpy and said drivers had been raising the issue for years.

Verstappen said some of the most treacherous bumps came from movement beneath the surface rather than simply old asphalt. He said they were hard to anticipate under braking or when a car ran slightly off the ideal line. He described braking as especially taxing when the wings close and ride height drops, and said he did not know how his car would respond to the bumps.

He cited around 5–6G in a corner in 2025. Separately, he said he had experienced vertical forces of more than 9G on his spine. Verstappen said checks on his spine showed the lower section was in poor condition and attributed some of the damage to the cars driven in recent years.

Verstappen acknowledged that physical strain can be part of racing, but warned that accepting such conditions and carrying on could bring greater problems over time.