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F1 Grand Prix of Spain Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing Honda and. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrate on podium during race of. Spanish GP, 8th round of FIA Formula 1 World Championship, WM. Weltmeisterschaft in Circuit de Catalunya, Montmelo, Catalunya, Spain. 04/06/23 Montmelò Catalunya Spain. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xAndreaxDiodatox originalFilename:diodato-notitle230604_npiia.jpg
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F1 Grand Prix of Spain Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing Honda and. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrate on podium during race of. Spanish GP, 8th round of FIA Formula 1 World Championship, WM. Weltmeisterschaft in Circuit de Catalunya, Montmelo, Catalunya, Spain. 04/06/23 Montmelò Catalunya Spain. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xAndreaxDiodatox originalFilename:diodato-notitle230604_npiia.jpg
In a rare moment of unity, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have joined the choir of F1 drivers expressing their concerns about the track surface at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Why? Both believe it’s past its prime for F1 racing.
Recently, the track’s abrasive nature made headlines when it caused excessive wear on the underfloor planks of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s vehicles. This wear and tear led to a post-race disqualification for the two aces. Yikes! The COTA track, with its bumpy surface, stands in sheer contrast to the smooth tarmac we see at many contemporary F1 venues.
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Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton: COTA needs attention
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Max, always a straight shooter, didn’t mince words about the situation. “Yeah, it needs to be redone,” he said, further adding, “At the moment, it feels like it’s better suited to a rally car… the bumps and jumps that we have in some places are way too much. I don’t think it’s F1 level.” Max did, however, express his love for the track’s layout, clarifying that the issue is with the surface, not the design.
Max Verstappen believes the COTA track surface would be “better suited to a rally car”, and is not up to “F1 level” as it stands.#F1 #USGP https://t.co/ujudrg0oVW
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 23, 2023
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Despite facing his disqualification, Hamilton chimed in with his thoughts too. Offering a balanced view, he remarked, “I like some of the bumps because it adds character to a circuit, but there are way too many.” Hamilton suggests that it doesn’t necessarily require a full track makeover; perhaps addressing only the most problematic areas would suffice. But yeah, according to Lando Norris, there’s chatter about resurfacing the first sector next year. Fingers crossed!
To sum it up, while the track might have a special place in the hearts of many, it seems there’s an F1 consensus on giving COTA a bit of a facelift. Let’s wait and see if officials are listening and if next year’s race will be a smoother affair.
Read More: Max Verstappen Trashes Lando Norris’ Gut-Wrenching Prophecy With an Uplifting Reality Check
The Circuit of The Americas was abuzz with Max Verstappen’s 50th win, but the real drama unfolded off the track when Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were shown the exit door post-race. Curious about the whole fiasco? Let’s dive in!
The Bumpy Affair that cost Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the US Grand Prix
After the chequered flag was waved, the FIA’s Jo Bauer and team decided to get up close and personal with the cars’ floors and skid blocks. Result? Hamilton’s and Leclerc’s skid blocks weren’t playing by the rules, hence the disqualifications, leading to Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz getting bumped up.
Introduced in 1994, the skid block, or plank, ensures the F1 cars maintain a polite distance from the ground. The rules clearly state it can wear down by just 1mm once the car enters parc ferme. Hamilton and Leclerc went beyond that mark.
BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix for a technical infringement#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/HHNlf5urLW
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2023
Attributing the plank wear to COTA’s ‘characteristic’ bumps and the Sprint format, the stewards highlighted that both Mercedes and Ferrari accepted the findings. The unique combination of a bumpy track and limited set-up time due to the Sprint race format caused this blunder, and thus, the stewards felt they had no choice but to apply the “standard penalty”: disqualification.
The Sprint format certainly played a role here. Once the cars exit the pit lane for Friday’s qualifying, they’re in parc ferme conditions, which means no major tinkering. So, if you goof up your ride height on Friday, you’re stuck with it. Modify it, and you’re starting from the pit lane. Wondering why other cars weren’t disqualified? Well, every car isn’t checked, and just because one car from a team faces scrutiny doesn’t mean its sibling will too. There’s simply not enough time for every car to get the full treatment. The disqualification reshuffle meant Ferrari outscored Mercedes 24 to 18 points during the weekend, narrowing Mercedes’ lead to just 22 points. With four race weekends left, including another Sprint in Brazil, it’s anyone’s game!
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To sum up: Racing is unpredictable – not just on the track, but also in the garage. As for the teams, they’ll lick their wounds and come back fighting. After all, that’s what F1 is all about!
