What happened: Asked to identify a standout moment from a sparse list of 2026 season highlights, McLaren's lineup offered self-deprecating humor ahead of the United States Grand Prix. The team entered Friday's opening practice session at Circuit of the Americas sporting a special stars-and-stripes design on its cars.

Why it matters: The candid tone reflects a demanding campaign in which McLaren hit trouble at COTA earlier in the USGP weekend while trying to extract more pace from its package. Bringing new aerodynamic floor parts to Texas is aimed at stabilizing performance in the constructors' standings over the final stretch of the calendar.

What to watch: On-track sessions continue at Circuit of the Americas through Sunday's United States Grand Prix as McLaren evaluates the updated MCL40 floor configuration in race trim.