Verstappen expects bumpy Austin track to challenge Red Bull

Verstappen expects a rough ride at the 5.5km Circuit of the Americas due to the notorious bumps at the Austin track. The track in Austin, Texas has a reputation for being one of the bumpiest on the calendar. Race promoters have made attempts to ease the bumps on several occasions, and F1’s latest generation of cars is supposed to offer a less harsh ride than the ground effect designs used last year. However, after watching footage of the World Endurance Championship round at COTA last month, Verstappen expects a tough time. "From what I saw in WEC, the track is incredibly bumpy," he said. He joked that the physical toll might force him to "order a new spine" or that he will "become like RoboCop" after the weekend. For 2026, the race organizers focused on improving certain sections of the track by resurfacing the stretch from Turn 9 to Turn 11 and smoothing the bumps on the approaches to Turns 12 and 19. These bumps make it difficult for drivers to keep cars stable, especially through high-speed corners. I find his skepticism justified because the uneven surface remains a significant challenge for the entire grid.

Red Bull form and championship standings

Red Bull enters the Austin weekend as favorites. Verstappen took two grand prix wins, one sprint race win, and one second place during the last three rounds. His recent form includes five successive top-three results, including back-to-back wins at the Bahrain and Singapore Grands Prix. I think his refusal to guarantee a front-running position in Austin is the only logical stance to take because the track is so unique. "I don’t want to say now that I will be in the fight in Austin," Verstappen said. He noted the RB22 felt more balanced from Baku onwards, whereas the car was sometimes scary to drive at the beginning of the year. He added that the big progress they made this year makes it nicer when you can compete further up front without having too many issues.

Verstappen holds fourth place in the championship standings. He trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 119 points with only 150 points still in play. He is eight points behind third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 17 points behind second-placed George Russell. He told reporters that he takes every race one by one. Winning the title may be too big a leap, so he says his weekends are more about having fun than fighting for a fifth world title. He aims to add more podiums and a few wins. He is currently aiming to maximize points to close the gap to the top three.

Heat and altitude in Mexico

The difficulty of the Austin weekend leads directly into the Mexican Grand Prix. This next round presents high altitude and extreme heat, which changes how the power units operate. The reduced air density in Mexico City makes cooling particularly important, as the lower density affects how the cars and their power units operate. Verstappen expects the team to face new challenges with engine performance and car behavior. "We need to see how the engine is going to perform in that altitude, how the car is behaving, because it’s very different," he said. He noted that many different things can go right or wrong in those races. The bumps in Austin represent just one part of the upcoming sequence of races. He added, "That’s again a new challenge for everyone, to deal with those bumps." The team needs to assess how the engine performs at that altitude and how the car behaves, because the conditions are very different.