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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 challenge they confront with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to modify their method to managing the team.

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

"This is the approach we intend racing. This remains the way in which we tackle competition, and we want to stay equitable, and we intend to maintain equal treatment to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a seasoned expert of many title battles. He won the title as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the title, while the McLaren team imploded.

And he missed out on the championship as engineer to Fernando Alonso in 2010, when the Ferrari team made errors in their race strategy at the last Grand Prix of the season and allowed Vettel and the Red Bull team to sneak the title from under their noses.

Andrea Stella stated following the Grand Prix in Austin: "We look at the next five races as chances to extend the gap on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a call as to a team driver, this will exclusively be led by mathematics."

"We rely on the past experience. I can remember at least the 2007 season, 2010, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's actually the third-placed driver that claims the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by the calculations."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Upgrades on The Current Car?

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

In F1, it's usually the case that if a team gets it wrong at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they succeed, that advantage can last for a while - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations changed.

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

They continued to develop it for a period, but were experiencing reduced benefits. So when looking at the value for money they were getting on their 2025 season car versus 2026, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to next year.

The Red Bull team have caught up since bringing their new underfloor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the speed to compete for the win in Texas had he not finished following Leclerc.

"We must keep optimising the performance and keep delivering strong race weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the car's potential and we didn't deliver a perfect race."

"Therefore we have a large opportunity, and the outcome of this season 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 Switch Teams?

First of all, it's uncertain the inquiry has an completely accurate basis. It's true that both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had slightly sticky first halves of the season, in varying manners, and that they are now faring significantly improved.

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

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

He is now significantly nearer than he was. He is regularly setting times within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque completed his pit stop, and lost 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the best race strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even currently, it's difficult to claim that on average Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this season.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to accept their statements.

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

There is a great deal for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has described repeatedly this year. But not every driver struggle 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 switched teams? I believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

Until the cars are driven for the initial time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will understand how the constructors are looking in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Barcelona on January 26-30, is behind closed doors because the teams wanted to understand their first running of the new engines without the prying eyes of the press.

So the pair of sessions in Bahrain on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion a certain indication of relative performance becomes apparent.

But, as ever, it's only at the first race that the complete and precise picture will emerge.