207 Violations on Friday: Why Is COTA So Difficult for F1 Drivers To Keep Within Track Limits

Friday proved to be a great outing for Charles Leclerc, who was able to achieve a clean sweep in the two practice sessions at COTA. However, looking at the day’s proceedings from a different point of view, almost all of the drivers on the grid had a terrible time at the track, and the violations sheet is proof of it.

A mammoth 207 track limit violations were recorded (reported by Sunday Guardian) at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Friday, with Williams driver Alexander Albon leading the charge with 21 infringements alone. With the FIA’s lists running along several pages, FP1 saw 79 infringements from the drivers.

FP2 saw the number of infringements jump up to 128, as drivers continued to encounter issues out on the track. With Albon leading the pack, Lando Norris racked up 18 infringements across the two sessions, followed by Isack Hadjar and Leclerc with 14 each.

Lewis Hamilton rounded out the unfortunate top five with 13 infringements to his name. Turns 12 and 20 remained a recurring spot of the violations, with drivers even exceeding track limits on their in-laps.

Amid the chaos, Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas remained the only driver on the day not to get any violations, but what exactly is it about COTA that makes the drivers struggle this much?

What Makes COTA So Difficult To Master?

Given how unique the F1-spec cars are, they need a particular kind of environment to be able to spread their wings. At COTA, the conditions are effectively the polar opposite of what’s needed, leading to even the most experienced F1 drivers having a hard time at the track.

By and large, there are three major factors contributing to the struggles at COTA, the first of which is the mixture of the severe bumps on the track at key braking zones and corners. With the track built on unstable clay soil, the track keeps shifting underground due to weather changes, leading to the formation of bumps on the surface.

Add the fact that F1 cars have extremely low heights (sometimes just 10mm above the asphalt), and you have a recipe for disaster. The cars keep jumping up and down the track, making it extremely difficult for any driver to steer them where they want to.

The setup conundrum is the next big obstacle, given Sector 1 of the track requires a stiff and high-speed car, while the later sectors ask for low-speed grip and braking stability. As such, there is no ideal compromise, and drivers inevitably have to suffer.

A combination of tire degradation and high physical demands makes the life of drivers even more miserable at COTA. Pushing too hard to warm the tires up often ends up overheating the rubber and degrading the tires more than needed.

A loss of grip ends up as the result of the deg, often leading to drivers taking wider lines and risking track limits violations. This is especially true of the penultimate corner, Turn 19, where drivers slingshot at massive speeds, and their tires are begging for mercy towards the end of the lap.

Given it all, the physical demands of COTA exceed any other track by a huge margin, with drivers like Max Verstappen and Norris even speaking of feeling up to nine g force on their spines.

As such, while COTA remains an iconic track on the grid, most drivers are of the opinion that it should either be removed from the calendar or undergo serious repairs.

F1 Drivers Unite To Voice Their Concerns Around COTA

Four-time world champion Verstappen has been one of the most vocal drivers against the inclusion of COTA on the F1 calendar under the current circumstances. Suffering from increasing injuries to his spine, the Dutch driver doesn’t think he can continue sustaining such pressure in the long run.

Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also feels that the surface is so detrimental to the drivers that it no longer matches up to the standards of F1. Meanwhile, Leclerc lamented the first sector in particular, deeming it very poor and bumpy.

Franco Colapinto, another driver still in his 20s, joked about how things were terrible for some of the older drivers on the grid. However, despite the gift of youth on his side, the Argentine driver claims it is no picnic for him either.

More F1 Reading

• “Doesn’t Look That Great” – Max Verstappen Raises Spine Concerns Amid COTA’s Bumpy Track Surface Talks
• F1 Race Control 3.0: Key Changes Revealed as FIA Launches New System
• “Impossible To Put a Lap Together” – Lando Norris on McLaren’s Struggles After Practice in Austin
• “Must Not Get Carried Away” – Charles Leclerc Manages Expectations After Strong First Day at Austin