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Must McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That to Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

The McLaren team are fully conscious of the obstacle they encounter with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this season, but they don't believe to modify their strategy to running the team.

They will persist to give both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and operate the team on a foundation of equity and equanimity.

"This is the approach we intend racing. This remains the way in which we approach racing, and we want to stay fair, and we intend to apply equal treatment to both drivers."

Team principal Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He claimed the championship as engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver recovered 17 points under the old scoring system in two races to win the title, while McLaren imploded.

And he lost the championship as race engineer to Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari made errors in their strategy at the last Grand Prix of the season and allowed Vettel and Red Bull to snatch the championship from their grasp.

Stella said following the Grand Prix in Austin: "We view the remaining five Grands Prix as opportunities to increase the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by mathematics."

"We rely on the past experience. I can remember at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's in fact the [driver in] third [place] that wins the title. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is determined by mathematics."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Upgrades on The Current Car?

All teams this season have had to face the dilemma of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also ensuring they are as prepared as they can be for the major regulation change scheduled for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's typically the situation that if a team makes mistakes at the beginning of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time to catch up. And if they succeed, that benefit can continue for some time - look at Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the regulations changed.

The McLaren team began this year with the fastest car, after putting a lot of innovation into their 2025 season design.

They did continue to develop it for a period, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 season car versus the 2026 car, it became an easy choice to switch focus to the following season.

Red Bull have closed the gap since introducing their new underfloor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team principal Andrea Stella said he thought Lando Norris had the pace to challenge for the win in Texas had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue optimising the car performance and continue executing good race weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless performance."

"So definitely we have a significant chance, and the result of this championship and the driver's title is in our control. It's not placed in another team's control."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, I'm not sure the question has an entirely accurate basis. It's true that both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult opening phases of the season, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon do now look quite balanced. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "equal" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, at least.

Hamilton has failed to outperform Charles Leclerc frequently at all this season, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

He is currently much closer than he was. He is regularly setting times within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This last weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a full second slower than Leclerc when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and dropped 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal race strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even now, it's difficult to claim that on balance Charles Leclerc has not been the better Ferrari driver this season.

Both Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to accept their statements.

Lewis Hamilton would not say even currently that he was fully adapted to the Ferrari car - and he is hoping the regulation changes next season will benefit his driving style; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a great deal for a driver to get their head around when they change constructors, as Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not all struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the beginning of the 2023 when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I believe the majority in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

How Soon Can We Determine The Coming Season's Competitive Order?

Until the cars run for the first time in pre-season testing next season, no-one will know how the teams are looking next year.

The initial session, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is private because the teams preferred to get their heads around their initial track time of the new engines without the scrutiny of the press.

So the two tests in Bahrain on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time a certain indication of comparative speed emerges.

But, as always, it's only at the first race that the complete and precise situation will become clear.