Lando Norris has thrown his support behind Max Verstappen’s criticism of the Circuit of the Americas, agreeing that the Austin venue’s punishing surface is well below modern standards.
Verstappen has made little secret of his frustration with COTA’s uncomfortable undulations, even joking after watching the World Endurance Championship race that he would “need to order a new spine after the weekend, or become like Robocop”.
The reigning world champion clearly shares his Red Bull rival’s pain. And with drivers once again highlighting the circuit’s shortcomings, the question is how much longer F1 can tolerate a surface that turns a Grand Prix weekend into a physical ordeal.
Norris: COTA falls short of modern standards
Norris was unequivocal when asked about Verstappen’s complaints, pointing out that the track would struggle to meet the tighter requirements imposed on newly built circuits today.
“Well, I would say yes. I mean, if you build a new track now the FIA... the rules, the regulation of building a new track, the tolerances you have to be within are pretty small,” he said.
“It certainly doesn’t fit anywhere close to what those regulations are now, let’s say, but it’s an old track, not a new track - it’s pretty bad.”
The McLaren driver also explained that the problem extends beyond mere discomfort, with the violent jolts taking a physical toll on those behind the wheel.
“There’s a lot of places I need to take headache tablets before I go out,” he said. “Simply because it’s so bumpy and you're hitting your head pretty hard against the headrests and things because of the bumps, so it’s certainly not a nice thing.
"But there's not much we can do. I mean we complain about it, so it’s certainly brought up many, many times but there’s only so much we can complain about things, but he’s right. Certainly right.”
Russell calls for more frequent resurfacing
COTA’s bumps have been a recurring complaint since F1 first visited in 2012. Although the circuit underwent a full resurfacing in 2024, further work this year targeted the worst sections between Turns 9 and 11. That has not silenced the criticism.
Mercedes’ George Russell agreed that the problem reaches beyond Austin, arguing that deteriorating asphalt across the calendar warrants a more consistent approach to track maintenance.
“Yeah, it’s bumpy, but I think it’s just part of racing," he said.
“I’d say my general view is F1 tracks probably need to be repaved every couple of years just to make it a bit more consistent, because we’re going to tracks now where tarmac’s coming up, it’s falling apart, it’s causing more issues than not.
"We’re not an Indy car or an F2 car that run their ride heights reasonably high, our ride height’s 10mm at the end of the straight, a centimetre from the ground, so any tiny bump you really feel it.”
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With F1 cars running so close to the asphalt, even minor imperfections can have major consequences.
And as Norris and Russell make clear, the issue is no longer simply about drivers complaining: it is about whether ageing circuits can keep pace with the demands of modern Formula 1.
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