McLaren, who has recently been the team to beat, has brought quite a few upgrades to Austin, aiming to extend their lead over Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.

At COTA, the team unveiled a revamped front wing and suspension package, along with updates to the rear brake ducts and rear wing.

The Woking team has been careful in introducing upgrades to the MCL38 throughout the season. This strategy has worked in their favor, helping them avoid the unexpected problems that have affected their rivals.

However, Friday’s US GP sprint qualifying exposed a few issues, with Lando Norris primarily complaining about the car’s poor balance and setup.

The Briton recorded only the fourth-fastest time, placing him three positions behind his championship rival, Max Verstappen.

During the sprint race, Norris gained two positions right after the start but lost a battle with Carlos Sainz on the final lap, finishing in third place.

Although he lost important points in the championship race, Norris was generally pleased with the outcome, stating that it was the best result McLaren could have delivered.

“We’ve been struggling a bit all weekend, so my chances of getting Max were tough, but I did the best I could to manage my tyres and things like that,” Norris said at the FIA post-sprint press conference.

“But at the end of the race, the Ferraris were at another level comparing to us, so I did my best to try and hold on.

“But there was pretty much zero chance I would ever hold on to taking place today.

“So, happy, I mean, from fourth, happy we moved up, we put up a good fight, but we just don’t have the pace this weekend.”

When asked if McLaren should have waited until next week in Mexico to test its new upgrades, he replied: “No, I’m very happy we brought updates here.

“Otherwise, I’d be even further down the grid. So, no, the team did a good job to get the bits here.

“So, yeah, I think it’s going to be tough. It’s an opportunity for us to improve into qualifying, but these upgrades have made us go quicker.”