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

The McLaren team are well aware of the obstacle they encounter with Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this year, but they see no reason to modify their approach to managing the team.

They will continue to give their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a foundation of equity and balance.

"This is the manner we intend racing. This remains the way in which we approach competition, and we want to remain equitable, and we want to apply equal treatment to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a veteran of many championship fights. He won the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the previous points system in two races to secure the title, while the McLaren team imploded.

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

Stella said after the Grand Prix in Texas: "We view the next five races as opportunities to extend the gap on Max. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will exclusively be determined by mathematics."

"We lean on the experience. I can remember at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you reach the final Grand Prix and it's in fact the third-placed driver that claims the title. So we're not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Cease Development on The Current Car?

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

In F1, it's typically the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the beginning of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules were modified.

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

They did continue to improve it for a period, but were experiencing reduced benefits. So when looking at the value for money they were achieving on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward decision to switch focus to next year.

Red Bull have closed the gap since bringing their new floor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We must keep maximising the car performance and keep delivering good 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 execute a perfect race."

"So definitely we have a large chance, and the outcome of this season and the driver's title is in our control. It's not in another team's control."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, it's uncertain the inquiry has an completely correct basis. It's correct that both Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat difficult opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

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

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

He is now significantly nearer than he was. He is regularly qualifying within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and lost 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

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

Both Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

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

There is a great deal for a driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has explained many times this season. But not every driver faces difficulties in this manner.

Alonso, for example, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe the majority in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

When Will We Know Next Year's Team Performance?

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

The first test, in Barcelona on January 26-30, is private because the constructors preferred to understand their initial track time of the new engines without the prying eyes of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Sakhir on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time a certain sense of comparative speed becomes apparent.

But, as always, it's not until the first race that the complete and precise situation will become clear.