We are still far from the idea of a drivers' association as exists in certain disciplines, but faced with the recurring problem posed by the bumps on the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, the latter have, for once, adopted a position common.
According to our information, the most virulent during the Security Commission which was held Friday evening at 17:50 p.m. in Austin, were Aleix Espargaró et Francis Bagnaia, who would definitely have liked not to race this weekend on the American track. But, although very concerned by the safety problem posed by the bumps, most of the drivers had a less brutal position, to which the two aforementioned drivers ultimately adopted.
It was therefore decided to give a sort of ultimatum to the owners of the circuit built on soft ground: Either the route will be resurfaced in its first half, that is to say from turns 2 to 10, or there will not be Grand Prix in Austin next year.
According to the words of Francis Bagnaia at a press conference: “Yes, I spoke to the safety commission but we only decided to ask COTA to re-surface from turn 2 to turn 11, and if they don't do it, it's better not to come back because it's too risky. »
fabio quartararo then clarified the unanimity and agreement of Dorna: “Yes, the resurfacing from turn 2 to turn 10 has received the agreement of all the drivers, and of course Dorna. »
As a reminder, the Circuit of the Americas has already been partially “patched up” in 2018, by a planing (and not a resurfacing) of around ten areas, following which MotoGP and F1 drivers continued to complain, which also led to a partial repair of turns 1 and 9 and the second half of the circuit before the 2020 season... Hence the different asphalts which dot the route.
Today, barely two years later after the first real complaints, we are encountering the same problems as before, which is mainly due to the construction of the circuit in a marshy area: The subsoil is not stabilized and undulations of land appear here and there over the months, a phenomenon amplified since a major flood in 2015.
The owners of the circuit which today serves as an emblem of the USA are therefore warned: It will be necessary to undertake much more important work than a simple planing of the bumps, otherwise the MotoGP will not go to Texas in 2022. After everything, the Americans sent men to the moon, they can make a 5,5 kilometer runway smooth...
