Leclerc braces for Austin battle against Verstappen and Antonelli

"The feeling behind the wheel is pretty good, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. It was only Friday, and we are seeing what we expected. The effect of the upgrades in terms of lap time is not nearly as big as many might think," Leclerc noted.

He expects the pecking order to evolve as the weekend progresses: "The car balance was great right from the first laps and we found the sweet spot immediately, which paid off. The team's effort to bring this package as early as possible is definitely helping, but we shouldn't have excessive expectations for Saturday because our rivals certainly have more in the tank."

Leclerc directly highlighted his primary threats: "Kimi and Max look extremely strong. I don't have a clear picture of McLaren's true pace yet, as they didn't seem to extract their maximum, but Kimi and Max will definitely be up there at the front."

Leclerc's caution mirrored the sentiments of team-mate Lewis Hamilton before the on-track action began. Speaking on Thursday, the British driver outlined the scale of the updated floor: "We have a very small package for this weekend. The gain is under a tenth of a second – around half a tenth," he was quoted by The Race.