Max Verstappen fires 'out of control' criticism over USGP circuit

Max Verstappen has branded the bumps at the Circuit of the Americas "unacceptable" and said the problem has become "out of control" ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix.

The Dutchman arrives in Austin on the back of victory in Singapore, where he was dominant en route to a first win at the Marina Bay Circuit from Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli. 

Verstappen does enter the start of the latest triple-header as the favourite to continue his run of form and secure a third win on the bounce, although a very different challenge awaits.

The Red Bull driver had jokingly suggested in Singapore that he would need to become "RoboCop" to cope with the physical toll of Austin's surface, a line that now carries more weight given his comments this week.

Speaking to select media, including RacingNews365, Verstappen explained that what he had witnessed from this year's World Endurance Championship visit to the Austin venue had left him bracing for a painful weekend.

"From what I saw in WEC, it was extremely, badly bumpy," said Verstappen.

"So I'm not really looking forward to that, for your spine, to be honest. I was joking about that, of course, at the last race [in Singapore], but it's not really a joke, to be honest, because we've mentioned this for years already: it's actually getting a bit out of control, and I'm sure it's going to be quite tough to find the right compromises around this track in places where it's just extremely bumpy. 

"So, also, that again, I don't know how our car is going to respond to that."

Max Verstappen not accepting 'soil' excuse

Verstappen made clear he does not accept that shifting soil beneath the track is a sufficient explanation for the recurring problem, which has prompted repeated patch repairs at the circuit over the years.

"Of course, you can use the excuse that the soil is the problem, but then you should have known that, and you need to make sure that you reinforce it more," added Verstappen.

"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 putting a plaster on the big problem, and that's 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 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 are out of control."