F1 braced for 'whingy' drivers after 'always fun' reason identified

F1 commentator Alex Jacques has explained why the bumps at the Circuit of the Americas cause drivers to 'whinge' at the start of the United States Grand Prix weekend. 

Jacques described how they "shift year to year", leaving the track surface unpredictable and fraught with jeopardy during FP1 and FP2 in Austin.

COTA has long been known for its bumps, and Max Verstappen pointed out earlier this year how difficult the asphalt looked when watching the Lone Star Le Mans race (formally the 6 Hours of COTA).

The four-time F1 drivers' champion further addressed the matter on media day in Austin, revealing the toll it takes on the body.

"Well, the bumps shift year to year, which is always fun, so you get whingy drivers on a Friday," Jacques explained on the F1 Nation podcast when detailing what lay in wait for the field this weekend.

"You've got a glorious overtaking opportunity at Turn 1. They copied Silverstone's homework for a lot of the rest of that sector, and all the better for it; it's a spectacular change of direction.

"Then you have another hairpin onto the long straight, another great overtaking opportunity down to Turn 12. Then you're into mechanical grip.

"Ferrari will be happiest through Turn 12, and then the slower stuff where you sometimes get a dive-bomb move, and then it's fast stuff.

"The pesky Turn 19 with track limits, and then you find yourself at the Andretti corner that completes it.

"It's a nice mix. It's a nice combination of defined overtaking zones and a real test of where the car's at, especially in that first sector."

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Why COTA is a 'modern classic'

When it was put to Jacques that COTA is a modern classic F1 track, he expanded on his initial answer, highlighting the elevation changes and how much of a driver's circuit it is.

"It's brilliant," he agreed. "If you consider it was purpose-built, and as we've seen at some other venues, it's very difficult to get it right immediately when it comes to that.

"This is just a great layout. The undulation plays a massive part as well, and it requires a very, very strong all-round performance of the car.

"But it does tend to be a race track where the driver makes a difference by the end of Q3 as well, so it's a very, very good place to go racing.

"Notwithstanding, it's in a wonderful part of the world as well."