McLaren will try to hold off Red Bull in Austin with new parts

McLaren is bringing new upgrades to the car for the United States Grand Prix, aiming to break Red Bull's pressure for the rest of the season. The reigning champion is third in the Constructors' Championship with six races to go. However, it was caught by fourth-placed Red Bull over the first triple-header.

McLaren failed to reach the podium in this run and scored 33 points. Red Bull finished in the top three four times, two of them Max Verstappen wins. The gap of 76 points fell to 7 points. In McLaren's statement before Austin, the results were described as significantly below expectations.

Technical director Rob Marshall said they are bringing a limited number of updates aimed at fixing brake reliability and performance problems. The team will also try small changes to the floor. Marshall said the recent races had not gone well for them but that they were getting stronger again, adding that Austin is probably a track better suited to their cars.

McLaren's work in Singapore was made harder by the crash on the final lap of the Sprint race. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided as Norris tried to pass his teammate, and the team lost eight points. Norris later apologized and admitted the move was wrong at that stage of the race.