Despite Toto Wolff's constant insistence that his team remains the underdog, the fact is that neither title is actually decided yet and though the odds against Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel are significant they are not insurmountable.

Indeed, ahead of a weekend which could see him claim his fifth title, Lewis Hamilton admits that he expects Ferrari to "punch back hard".

"As a team none of us are saying how cool it will be if it happens this weekend or the next," the Briton told reporters. "We are not focusing on ifs, we are focusing on making sure we deliver.

"There are still a hundred points available so you can never be complacent in life and in a championship as intense as this," he continued. "We expect Ferrari to punch back hard here this weekend, so we cannot be relaxed in any shape or form. We have to make sure we raise the bar again.

"I'm definitely not thinking this weekend 'how it is going to feel if we do the job?' because I have to do the job, and that just adds more pressure and you don't need more pressure. I am focusing on trying to make sure I drive the best I've driven all year long and we get the car where we need to get it. It is going to be wet I think all day tomorrow and potentially on Saturday so it will be a tricky weekend. Nothing is given."

Indeed, in its efforts to punch back hard, Ferrari has brought a number of updates to Austin, most noticeably a new floor.

Check out our Thursday gallery from COTA, here.