COTA boss issues response after below ‘F1 standards’ driver criticism

Circuit of The Americas owner Bobby Epstein has responded after various drivers criticised the condition of the track.

While the likes of Max Verstappen claimed that COTA’s bumps are “out of control” and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto said they reduce the track to below “F1 standard”, Epstein argues that the only area where he can see such cause for concern is at Turn 1.

COTA boss defends track surface, minus Turn 1

This bumpy circuit has established itself as a driver favourite, though a prominent narrative to emerge among the stars of F1 2026 was that action must be taken on those pesky bumps.

Verstappen said: “I mean, I love this track. I love this place. It’s one of the best layouts ever, and it’s one of the, I would say, best venues, best cities to be at.

“But for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable, and I mean, over time, they’ve been grinding a little bit here and there, but it’s just you’re putting a plaster on the big problem, and that’s just what’s coming underneath, and that’s what you need to actually tackle in the first place.

“But that, of course, means you need to really fully open up the track. That costs a lot of money and time, but honestly, that’s the only way to get rid of it because these bumps are not natural and they are out of control.”

The Dutchman also pointed to scans which suggest the lower part of his spine is not in great shape.

Bortoleto backed Verstappen’s stance on the COTA bumps, while Charles Leclerc claimed the surface is “very poor. The first sector is particularly poor and very bumpy.”

Alpine boss Steve Nielsen believes the bumps to be just part of the characteristics of the circuit which carries an old-school vibe.

Speaking with ESPN, Epstein defended COTA’s state amid the driver concerns. He did concede that one area of the track is not up to scratch.

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“We don’t feel good that there’s a bump at the bottom of Turn 1. We didn’t know about it until this week. We would have fixed it.

“But the other things Max spoke about, all the bumps around the track, we’ve fixed them. The track is in really good shape.

“I talked to some WEC [World Endurance Championship] drivers who said there’s no problem.

“There’s one bump at the beginning of [Turn] 1 that is not acceptable in my mind … It’s a dip, not a bump. If it were a bump, we’d sharpen it out, we’d take care of it tomorrow night, or overnight tonight, and that kind of stuff’s happened before [at other tracks]. But when it’s a dip it’s a lot different, there’s no easy fix.”

In addition, Epstein quipped: “Max doesn’t say I’m wrong a lot, but he’s also right a lot, and he’s usually very frank, and I appreciate that about him.

“I had no problem with him saying what he said. I think he might be surprised in some areas that bumps he thought were here aren’t any more.”

Verstappen is a four-time winner of the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

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