Potholes have long been a problem at COTA due to the unstable terrain on which the circuit was built, a situation made worse by the heavy rain and flooding that affected the Formula 1 weekend in 2015.
The undulations were of concern during F1’s last event there in 2019, when surface grinding was carried out after Friday night practice, and again after qualifying on Saturday.
However, then-Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel suffered a suspension failure in the race which his team later blamed on potholes on the track. Subsequently, some areas were resurfaced during the winter of 2019-2020.
COTA boss Bobby Epstein told Motorsport.com ahead of the work: “We’re actually going to close the track for most of December and half of January to fix these issues. We did some of the repairs last year. before MotoGP, so I wouldn’t say we have everything to do.
“Certainly it will involve the whole backstretch, the pit exit and part of Turn 1. There is a bump before Turn 9, Turns 18-19. So it’s pretty extensive [damage]. I know what the invoice”.
Despite that effort, potholes continued to be a problem at the recent MotoGP event, with riders complaining throughout the weekend, issuing an ultimatum that they would not return to the venue next year if the necessary steps were not taken. necessary security works.
Motorsport.com understands that the latest track work was done without specialist supervision, which meant the work was not carried out properly.
MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo called the asphalt “a joke”, while the riders confirmed that the circuit would be resurfaced from turn 2 to 11, which was the minimum requirement they considered necessary to return to racing in COTA in 2022.
F1 race director Michael Masi says he was in close contact with MotoGP’s governing body – the FIM – to gather exact information on the areas marked by two-wheelers, in order to determine how F1 could be affected.
The circuit was subsequently visited, on behalf of the FIA, by experienced American circuit inspector, Tony Cotman , who has overseen the design of several IndyCar circuits.
“I was on the phone with my FIM colleagues all weekend while they were in Austin to really understand the whole situation,” said Masi. “And what we have actually done is since the 2019 F1 event, a large part of the circuit has been resurfaced to counteract some of the problems that we saw in 2019.
“The areas that were lifted by the bikes are different areas than the ones that were resurfaced. And Tony Cotman, who is one of the FIA’s platinum circuit inspectors, has already been to Austin for the week, and has done a report. .
“And the circuit [has been] making some changes for us, to address some of the existing concerns.”
“They’re going to rectify some potholes and stuff. But we’ve got some time to do it. So they’re going to do what they can within the time frame.”
At F1’s last visit in 2019, drivers had mixed opinions about the potholes, with some insisting they added to the already challenging North American track.
