Verstappen comes to Austin with "changes made" to his RB20

Max Verstappen will be hoping to make the most of the added points coming from the sprint race weekend, hoping to increase his 52-point gap over Lando Norris in the drivers' championship. However, Norris and McLaren dominated proceedings last time out at the Singapore Grand Prix, with the Brit winning by nearly 21 seconds around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, highlighting the pace the papaya-coloured team have at the moment.

The consistency from McLaren has also allowed them to pull a 41-point gap over Red Bull in the constructors' championship, a lead that has continued to grow since being overtaken. Norris will be looking for another victory to close the gap to Verstappen, while also taking a big step towards securing McLaren's first team title since 1998.

Adjustments made to the RB20

"We have had a few weeks away from racing, giving us time to refocus and to work hard on our performance ahead of the United States Grand Prix," said Verstappen, previewing this weekend in Austin, Texas. "We have made some changes to the car to hopefully better suit this circuit, so will see if this makes us more competitive when we head out on track. This week will be another hectic Sprint race, with a lot planned over the weekend.

Verstappen excited to race in front of an atmosphere "like no other"

"Austin is a really cool city and the atmosphere at the track is like no other. I will be back in my US helmet for this race, which is a tribute to the passionate fans here and features the skyline of all three US cities that we are racing in. We have a lot of good memories here, so we are looking forward to heading back and racing there this week," the Dutchman concluded.

This article was created in collaboration with Estéban den Toom

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