Austin will try to modify its bumps before the return of Formula 1 to the United States

The nature of the layout of the Grand Prix of the Americas has always been subjected to numerous criticisms since F1 (but also MotoGP) started going to Texas. And for good reason, the circuit was built on particularly unstable ground. The situation worsened after the floods of 2015. That season, the second free practice session was canceled and the qualifications were postponed to Sunday morning. In 2019, during the last F1 visit to the United States, the organizers were forced to grind the track tarmac on Friday evening (as well as on Saturday) without preventing Sebastian Vettel from retiring, as early as the fifth lap, due to a suspension failure of his Ferrari linked to the bumps of the track.

To overcome the problem, other works were carried out during winter 2020, particularly around turns 9, 18, and 19, which are the most problematic. But despite all these efforts, new bumps appeared in different places during the 2021 MotoGP edition, which angered many riders. Michael Masi, the F1 race director, paid attention to this issue. « The areas that were problematic in Moto are different from those that were resurfaced,” he declared to Motorsport.com. « The circuit is already making some changes for us to address our concerns. They will smooth out some bumps before our arrival ».

But not everyone sees these bumps in a bad light. Daniel Ricciardo sees them more as a kind of challenge. « When we go to Austin, we know what to expect and of course, it’s not easy at all. But some tracks, especially the new ones, are a bit too perfect, without any soul. So I like the flaws of Austin ».