Red Bull star Max Verstappen gave his honest verdict on Circuit of the Americas after racking up another F1 win.
The Red Bull star Max Verstappen demands action be taken at Circuit of the Americas because he believes the track’s surface is better suited to a rally car. The remarks are discouraging for the Grand Prix’s organizers, who were previously praised by Lewis Hamilton for adding a “legendary” schedule to the F1 calendar.
Hamilton actually made a brazen comparison between his home race and the US Grand Prix. After qualifying on Friday, the Mercedes representative remarked, “This is right up there with Silverstone.” It’s a legendary layout that, in my opinion, every driver finds to be very challenging.
Even though Verstappen outlasted the opposition to claim his 15th Grand Prix victory of the year, he wasn’t exactly complimentary. In his post-race press conference, he commented on the track surface, saying: “It needs to be redone.
Right now, it seems like a rally car would be a better fit. I’m bouncing around and jumping. The bumps and jumps we have in some places are way too much, even though you probably don’t notice them as much in an F1 car because we are glued to the ground due to the downforce.
I don’t think it’s F1 level. I love this track, honestly, the layout is amazing. But we definitely need new tarmac and it needs to be a lot smoother for the coming years because we have already been asking for this for quite a few years and it’s not really been done.”
Although Hamilton waxed lyrical about the layout, he was on the same page as Verstappen in terms of the surface, although he put forward the need to address the issue in a more diplomatic fashion.
I like some of the bumps because it adds character to a circuit, but there are way too many,” he explained. “We’re open to discussing with them and helping them, like maybe not doing the whole thing so it costs a fortune. From the last corner to the start line, for example, that’s smooth, but then the rest of it is bumpy. But there are other areas that they could patch up.”
On Sunday, Verstappen was challenged by Hamilton, who finished just two seconds behind the three-time defending champion before being disqualified.
The Mercedes driven by the 38-year-old was ruled to be inoperable due to excessive wear on the underfloor skid blocks, depriving him of the important points that came with a strong P2 finish. As a result, Lando Norris moved up to take second place.
The Mexican Grand Prix, the second race in an action-packed triple-header, is this weekend, giving drivers just a few days to gather themselves.
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