COTA Bumps in F1 2026: Why Austin Hurts the New Cars

The COTA bumps are back in the paddock conversation, and in 2026 they come with a new complaint: the cars now sit lower in corners, so they hit the ground harder. Max Verstappen called the Circuit of the Americas surface "out of control" and "unacceptable" on Thursday 22 October 2026, ahead of the United States Grand Prix, and said the new generation of cars makes it worse. Here is what that means, and why braking zones are where it hurts.

What are the COTA bumps?

They are ruts and ripples in the surface of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which sits on soil that moves. Verstappen's description, reported by Yahoo Sports and AOL, is that the worst ones are hidden: the ground shifts underneath the tarmac, so the bump appears where you do not expect it, and often away from the racing line, where drivers have no reason to go and look for it.

He also argued that repairs such as grinding only treat the surface. His view is that a proper fix would mean fully reopening the track and working on what lies beneath, which he accepts is expensive and slow.

Why do 2026 cars bottom out more?

Bottoming out is the floor, or the skid plank beneath it, touching the asphalt. Verstappen's explanation is that the 2026 rules close the wings in corners, which lowers the car towards the ground, so the cars run very low in corners and hit the track harder under heavy braking. The Race summarised his view as the 2026 cars bottoming out more than the previous generation.

Cars from 2022 to 2025 already ran low and stiff. His argument is that the current ones are lower still in corners than last year's, and that the damage left by recent cars adds to the problem. That is a driver's opinion rather than a measured fact, and teams have not published ride-height data to back it up.

Why is the spine the issue?

Verstappen said he checked his spine and that it is not in great shape, and that he saw vertical loads above 9G at COTA last year, compared with 5 to 6G in cornering. Those figures are his own and we have not seen the underlying data, so treat them as a driver's account, not a measurement.

His concern is long-term. A bump that is uncomfortable at 25 is a different proposition at 35, and he said medical checks suggest his lower spine already shows wear after more than 11 seasons in F1.

What do other drivers say?

Opinions split, politely. Lando Norris agreed with Verstappen. George Russell said bumps are part of racing, while arguing that F1 tracks should be repaved every couple of years. Nobody on the record said the surface is fine.

How can you tell a bump problem from a pace problem?

Watch where the time goes. A car that is struggling over the bumps tends to lose out in the braking zones and slow corners, because that is where the floor meets the ground. A car that is simply short of grip loses time more evenly around the lap. On Friday, compare sector times between drivers and ask whether the gaps cluster in the same few corners. If they do, the surface is probably part of the story. If they do not, it is just a car that is slow.

Treat early practice runs with care. Fuel loads and engine modes differ between teams, so a single lap tells you little, and a driver complaining on the radio is not the same as a driver losing time.

Will the bumps change the race?

They can change setup, which can change tyre wear. Teams that raise ride height to protect the floor give up some downforce, and the trade shows up in lap time and in how the rear tyres behave. If you want the tyre side of the weekend, see our guide to the Pirelli compounds chosen for Austin.

Our view: the useful measure this weekend is not who complains loudest but who is quickest through the braking zones on Friday. Compare drivers on telemetry once practice data is in, and check how the championship standings look going into Sunday.

It is a modest irony that the cars were redesigned for closer racing and the first thing to separate them might be a patch of Texas asphalt. Nobody asked the track for that role, and it has not volunteered to resign.

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