Max Verstappen’s GPS data from the first two practice sessions at the 2026 F1 United States Grand Prix shows Pierre Wache where Red Bull now need to improve at COTA.

Four-time F1 champion Verstappen had arrived at the Circuit of the Americas in round 18/23 of the season as the in-form driver on the grid. The 29-year-old won the last two Grands Prix in Malaysia and Singapore from pole position, and he even won the F1 Sprint at Marina Bay.

The United States GP weekend also started well for Red Bull, as Verstappen finished P2 and was only 0.084s off the pace as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped FP1 at COTA. His one-lap pace on the soft C4 compound Pirelli tyres also only left the Dutchman 0.189s adrift in third place as Leclerc topped FP2 at COTA ahead of Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 0.042s.

Charles Leclerc tops FP2 after also being fastest in the first practice session! Are Ferrari the team to beat this weekend?

Pierre Wache believes Max Verstappen proved Red Bull must improve in COTA’s low-speed corners

But beyond the headline pace that Verstappen produced in Red Bull’s upgraded RB22 at the United States GP, technical director Wache thinks his GPS data during practice shows they have to improve in the slow-speed corners. The Dutchman was his most competitive in the high-speed corners, but Red Bull need to improve the balance of the RB22 in Austin, Texas.

Red Bull must also remain wary of the bumps at the Circuit of the Americas, which remained a challenge in FP1 and in FP2 on Friday despite COTA’s efforts to reduce the bumps for this year’s United States GP. Verstappen had said before the weekend that COTA’s bumps, which are caused by the circuit being built on subsiding ground, had been “unacceptable” in 2025.

“We need to focus primarily on performance in slow corners; those slow corners are the key for us,” Wache said, via quotes by the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com. He added: “The car reacts to those bumps as you would expect; it bounces quite a bit.

“The circuit is extremely bumpy, especially when braking for Turn 1 – you have to be very careful there. But that is the problem with the type of set-up we are using.

“The cars are not as stiff as last year, but the difference isn’t that great, either. The current car still can’t handle the bumps very well here.”

Verstappen posted a fastest lap time during FP2 at the United States GP of a 1:35.480 with the soft C4 Pirelli tyres, compared to Leclerc’s 1:35.291 and Antonelli’s 1:35.333. Teammate Isack Hadjar, meanwhile, only finished FP2 in P9 with a 1:36.411 after losing two quicker lap times due to exceeding track limits – with an array of drivers caught out during the session.

Along with track limits, Hadjar felt his Red Bull RB22 was “undriveable” during FP2 at COTA, having suffered more tyre degradation than he anticipated. So, Red Bull’s issues at the 2026 United States GP may stretch beyond COTA’s bumps and slow-speed corners this weekend.

Verstappen briefly topped the FP2 timesheets with a personal-best 1:35.480 before Leclerc immediately pushed the Dutchman back down the order on a 1:35.291. Leclerc gained all of his time over Verstappen in the middle and third sectors, after losing 0.059s in the first split.

Red Bull star Verstappen recorded a split time of 25.571s in the first sector compared to the 25.630s that Ferrari ace Leclerc registered. But while Leclerc then went on to set split times of 37.834s and 31.827s in the second and third zones, Verstappen did 37.931s and 31.936s.

COTA’s third sector has the largest share of the circuit’s slow-speed corners, especially the challenging Turns 13 and 15 – where Verstappen actually improved his pace, before going on to lose time in the faster corners at Turns 18 and 19 along with the slow-speed Turn 20. Leclerc still gained time on Verstappen through Turn 13, though, to support Wache’s view.