Max Verstappen blasts US GP circuit boss after painkiller revelation

Max Verstappen has hit out at the United States Grand Prix circuit boss after revealing he has been taking painkillers to cope with the physical demands of racing at the Circuit of the Americas.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion criticised the notoriously bumpy Austin track, suggesting its condition has left him dealing with significant discomfort behind the wheel.

Verstappen also challenged circuit boss Bobby Epstein to experience the punishing conditions for himself, telling media: "Well, I invite him to drive my car. Then I expect to see him get out within five laps, because he won't want to do it anymore."

The 29-year-old Dutchman spoke about needing to use painkillers as he continued: "That is not good. There are a few corners that are simply unacceptable. Normally you don't need that [pain medication]. Normally not."

The Epstein comments that riled Verstappen

Verstappen's comments came after Epstein himself had responded to fears about what would face drivers over the weekend. Both the Red Bull star and defending world champion Lando Norris had been vocal in raising their concerns earlier in the week.

Epstein though claimed that the bumps have been reduced and there is nothing to be concerned about, but did admit it was unacceptable that there was still a bump remaining at turn one.

"We don't feel good that there's a bump at the bottom of Turn 1," Epstein told ESPN. "We didn't know about it until this week. We would have fixed it.

"But the other things Max spoke about, all the bumps around the track, we've fixed them. The track is in really good shape."

Epstein says that the bump in question is actually a dip, and that there is no easy fix, otherwise it would have been remedied already.

"There's one bump at the beginning of [Turn] 1 that is not acceptable in my mind ... It's a dip, not a bump," he continued.

"If it were a bump, we'd sharpen it out, we'd take care of it tomorrow night, or overnight tonight, and that kind of stuff's happened before [at other circuits]. But when it's a dip it's a lot different; there's no easy fix."

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