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

McLaren are well aware of the challenge they encounter with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this season, but they see no reason to change their approach to running the team.

They will continue to give both drivers the best chance they can and run the team on a basis of fairness and balance.

"This is the manner we plan competing. This remains the method in which we tackle racing, and we aim to remain fair, and we intend to apply equal treatment to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a seasoned expert of many championship fights. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up seventeen points under the old scoring system in two races to win the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella stated after the Grand Prix in Austin: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as opportunities to extend the lead on Max. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by mathematics."

"We lean on the experience. I can remember at least 2007, 2010, in which you reach the last race and it's actually the third-placed driver that wins the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Cease Development on The Current Car?

Every team this season have had to confront the conundrum of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the significant rules overhaul coming for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's typically the case that if a team gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a long time to recover. And if they get it right, that benefit can continue for some time - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules changed.

The McLaren team began this year with the best car, after putting a lot of innovation into their 2025 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 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward choice to switch focus to the following season.

Red Bull have caught up since bringing their updated floor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team boss Stella stated he thought Norris had the pace to challenge for the win in Texas had he not ended up following Leclerc.

"We just have to continue optimising the car performance and continue executing good race weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a race like Baku, we failed to optimize the car's potential and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

"Therefore we have a large chance, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our hands. It's not placed in another team's control."

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, it's uncertain the inquiry has an entirely accurate basis. It's correct that both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are now faring significantly improved.

Sainz and Albon do now appear quite balanced. However, it's not so clear that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is yet the "equal" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

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

He is now much closer than he previously. He is regularly setting times within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even currently, it's hard to argue that on balance Leclerc has not been the superior Ferrari driver this season.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the new rules next year will benefit his driving style; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a great deal for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Hamilton has explained repeatedly this year. But not all faces difficulties in this way.

Alonso, for example, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he changed constructors? I suspect most in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

How Soon Can We Determine Next Year's Competitive Order?

Until the cars are driven for the initial time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will know how the constructors are performing next year.

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

So the two tests in Bahrain on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion a certain indication of relative performance emerges.

But, as always, it's not until the first race that the true and accurate picture will emerge.