COTA’s recurring bumps return as Verstappen jokes he may need a new back

The Circuit of the Americas’ recurring bumps are back in focus ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. At a Singapore press conference, Max Verstappen called the circuit extremely bumpy after watching WEC footage from it and joked that he might need a new back after the weekend—or become RoboCop.

The bumps have a geological cause: COTA is built on highly expansive clay in eastern Travis County. Depending on moisture levels, the ground moves, and drivers feel that movement in the car. During construction, several metres were excavated and a polymer barrier installed to counter that movement. Drainage problems, heavy rain and subsidence nevertheless continued to create new bumps in the years that followed.

Partial resurfacing, rather than a complete overhaul, has generally been the response. Work in early 2022 covered sections between Turns 2 and 10 and between Turns 12 and 16, with concrete reinforcement slabs added beneath the most heavily loaded corners. After complaints and disqualifications for floor-plank wear, another major maintenance effort followed in late 2023. During that maintenance, promoter Bobby Epstein said parts of the asphalt were 12 years old and due for replacement; he said removing the bumps was a main purpose of the work.

The complaints go back years. Lewis Hamilton said after first practice in 2019 that he felt unwell and had a headache, and called COTA the bumpiest track he had driven. Pierre Gasly has also described the bumps as extreme, citing a large jolt near pit exit and others at the exit of Turn 9 and on entry to Turn 12.

There was never a formal FIA ultimatum. The strongest pressure came instead from MotoGP, where riders threatened a boycott unless at least the section between Turns 2 and 10 was resurfaced. The Austin weekend will test whether the latest interventions have made enough difference.