Verstappen Braces for Bumpy U.S. GP Weekend at COTA
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 21, 2026
COTA bumps
Max Verstappen expects Circuit of the Americas to bite back. He said the bumps around COTA leave him braced for a rough weekend, even after organizers resurfaced part of the circuit between Turns 9 and 11 and smoothed the bumps near Turns 12 and 19. Verstappen said the work still leaves the track with a fresh challenge. Formula 1’s current cars were supposed to handle the surface better than they did last year, but he said the revised track will still demand plenty from drivers and teams. Verstappen joked that he might need to “order a new spine” after the race, a line that matches the punishment he expects from the lap surface. His view was clear. The changes may help, but they do not remove the strain. COTA remains a place where the car, the setup and the driver all face a hard test, and Verstappen did not sound interested in softening that point.
Title picture
The title picture is not steering Verstappen toward easy answers. He said he was not ready to call himself a victory contender at COTA and he was still unsure whether the RB22 would be in the fight for victory there. Red Bull entered the weekend as favorites, but Verstappen kept his focus on the next session instead of the bigger forecast. He said he is taking each race as it comes, even with Red Bull’s improved form since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. That recent stretch has given him a stronger platform. Over the previous three rounds, Verstappen won two Grands Prix and one sprint race, and he finished second once. The run has improved the mood around the team, but it has not changed the way he talks about this weekend. He still separated form from certainty. The championship table does the same. Verstappen is fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell ahead of him and Kimi Antonelli leading the standings. He is eight points behind Hamilton and 17 behind Russell. Antonelli’s 119-point lead makes a fifth title unrealistic, so Verstappen’s title path has narrowed to the facts in front of him rather than any broad championship chase.
Red Bull outlook
That leaves Red Bull with a simpler target. Verstappen said the team is focused on enjoying the remaining races and on adding more podiums and a few wins, with 150 points still available. He did not dress up the math or push the title picture beyond what the standings allow. He talked about making the most of what is left. That approach fits a driver who has already banked a strong recent run and still sees value in every stop on the calendar. COTA is one test, and Mexico is the next. Verstappen said Red Bull will move on there after Austin, where high altitude and hot running conditions will provide another challenge. The sequence matters because it shows how quickly one rough circuit gives way to another demanding one. Verstappen knows the weekend in Texas could be punishing. He also knows the team has reasons to keep pressing, from podium chances to occasional wins. The focus stays on execution, not promises. In his own words, he is taking each race as it comes, and that remains the tone as Red Bull heads from one difficult venue to the next.
