Sergio Perez fears the bumps at COTA as the suspension limit is riding high, preparing for the worst that drivers may face this weekend.
The bumps at the Circuit of the Americas are a massive problem for F1 drivers this weekend, even though FIA tried to improve the worst sectors of the circuit.
On Friday, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez complained about the unpleasant experience he had on the track. He claims that his suspension has skyrocketed to the limit.
“You could see the safety car jumping around,” said Perez. “The suspension is at the limit. We’ll see how tough it gets. We prepared for the worst in the simulator,” reported the Mexican.
There have been countless attempts to re-pave the circuit, but its unstable land surface makes the efforts futile. F1 was warned about the bumps on the track after the recent MotoGP event, where the riders complained about the same.
“The bumps will be a challenge,” Perez predicted, “you have to find the right line. That can make a big difference, especially in the first sector. [The bumps] could cause balance problems,” Perez fears.
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Pierre Gasly also complained
Even before F1’s contingent stepped on the circuit, Pierre Gasly was already warning about the bumps on the track. He even mentioned that it would cause massive disturbance to the drivers and complicate the weekend.
However, it was too late for FIA to do anything except to go with the situation and repair certain areas of the track. Any radical changes to the track can only happen next year when F1 revisits Austin.
Maybe remove COTA?
F1 is already accommodating another race from the US in Miami in 2022. And now, there are talks about a race in Las Vegas too. So to avoid such infrastructural hassles, F1 could drop the race from Austin in the coming years.
This way, F1 drivers would also feel comfortable on the track, and F1’s presence in the US will also remain intact.
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