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Do McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That to Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

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

They will continue to provide both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a foundation of fairness and equanimity.

"This is the manner we plan racing. This remains the way in which we tackle competition, and we aim to stay fair, and we intend to maintain equality to our drivers."

Team principal Stella is a veteran of numerous championship fights. He claimed the title as engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver made up seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren imploded.

And he lost the championship as race engineer to Fernando Alonso in 2010, when the Ferrari team messed up their strategy at the final race of the championship and enabled Vettel and the Red Bull team to snatch the championship from their grasp.

Stella stated following the race in Texas: "We view the next five races as opportunities to increase the gap on Max. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be determined by the numbers."

"We rely on the past experience. I can recall at least the 2007 season, 2010, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's actually the [driver in] third [place] that claims the championship. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is closed by the calculations."

Why Did McLaren Stop Upgrades on The Current Car?

Every team this season have had to confront the conundrum of for how long to focus on their 2025 car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the major regulation change coming for 2026.

In F1, it's typically the situation that if a constructor gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they succeed, that advantage can continue for some time - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the rules were modified.

The McLaren team started this season with the best car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 season design.

They did continue to develop it for a period, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to the following season.

Red Bull have closed the gap since introducing their updated underfloor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the pace to challenge for the victory in Austin had he not ended up behind Charles Leclerc.

"We must continue maximising the performance and continue executing strong weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a race like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't execute a perfect race."

"So definitely we have a significant chance, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our hands. It's not placed in someone else's hands."

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an completely accurate premise. It's correct that both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had slightly difficult opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing much better.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon currently look very even. However, it's less certain that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is yet the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

Lewis Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc frequently at all this year, either in qualifying or Grand Prix.

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

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred circuits, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his tire change, and lost 13 seconds over the rest of the race.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the best strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even now, it's difficult to claim that on average Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the better Ferrari racer this season.

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

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

There is a lot for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Hamilton has described many times this season. But not all faces difficulties in this manner.

Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the beginning of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know The Coming Season's Competitive Order?

Before the cars are driven for the initial time in pre-season testing next year, nobody will understand how the teams are looking next year.

The initial session, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the constructors preferred to understand their first running of the new engines without the prying eyes of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Bahrain on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time some kind of indication of relative performance emerges.

But, as ever, it's not until the season opener that the complete and precise picture will become clear.