Ferrari rolled into the United States Grand Prix with what was supposed to be a significant upgrade package, but the reality turned out to be far less exciting than the buildup suggested. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both downplayed the improvements during Friday's practice sessions at the Circuit of the Americas, suggesting the gains were smaller than the paddock had anticipated. Despite Leclerc topping both FP1 and FP2, neither Ferrari driver seemed convinced their upgrades would translate into a proper title-challenging performance come qualifying and race day.

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Charles Leclerc admitted the upgrade was smaller than people expected, even while setting the fastest times in both morning and afternoon sessions. He beat Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli at the top of the timesheets, yet refused to claim favouritism heading into the weekend. Leclerc reckoned Verstappen and Antonelli had more pace hidden away in their back pockets, which tells you everything about how much faith he actually had in Ferrari's package despite the headline numbers.

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The whole situation highlights a familiar Ferrari story. Bring upgrades to a race weekend, have a decent Friday, then watch as competitors find their rhythm come the serious business of qualifying. Hamilton, who switched to Ferrari from Mercedes for 2025, would've been hoping for more firepower in the upgrade department. Instead, he finished sixth on Friday, some way adrift of where the Scuderia needed to be if they were going to make a proper dent in the title fight.

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McLaren also brought upgrades to Austin, and while every team bar Mercedes rolled out something new, the narrative around Ferrari's package quickly shifted from exciting to disappointingly muted. Sometimes the most telling sign of a weak upgrade isn't the lap times on Friday, it's the drivers themselves telling you it's not worth getting excited about. Ferrari's duo essentially did just that, and fans were left wondering what all the fuss had been about in the first place.

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