When Norris asks advice from… Quartararo for the Grand Prix in Austin

The worlds of Formula 1 and MotoGP cross paths again. In view of the United States Grand Prix, on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Lando Norris confided that he had asked the opinion of one of his motorcycle friends regarding the resurfacing of the Texan route. And he didn't contact just anyone, as he asked for help from the reigning world champion, fabio quartararo.

“There were several places where the surface was resurfaced, especially in the worst places, like the first chicane, explained the pilot McLaren. The first sector has been redone, apart from turn 1. I will be able to give a better explanation tomorrow (Friday) (…). I spoke to Fabio [Quartararo] who rode here in MotoGP, and he said a lot of places are definitely better. It's much worse on motorcycles than cars, so if he says it's better, I expect it to be much better. »

Heavily criticized for several years, due to the strong bumps that were created due to the clayey nature of the soil on which it is built, COTA had taken the decision to resurface the most critical areas of the circuit in January 2022. Most of of sector 1 was redone, between turns 2 and 10, but also between turns 12 to 16. A concrete base was laid to reinforce the areas of turns 2 and 10. 

Norris reassured about the condition of the track

MotoGP riders were able to discover the resurfaced track during the Grand Prix of the Americas last April. Everyone had a much more favorable opinion with the new modifications made to the Texas asphalt. If the bumps have not yet completely disappeared, they have been reduced thanks to the work carried out. Enough to reassure Lando Norris a little, who feared the presence of rebounds on his McLaren in Austin.

“It’s still a problem for us. Every weekend we have to compromise because of rolling, bumps and other things like that. So the fewer there are, the more we can hope to benefit from them., hopes the British pilot. It will probably benefit everyone, the smoother it is and the fewer bumps, but for us it makes a big difference. If the track is improved this year and less bumpy, then hopefully that can help us tune the car in a better way. »

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