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Do McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That to Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

McLaren are well aware of the difficulty they face with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this year, but they don't believe to alter their method to managing the team.

They will persist to provide both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and operate the team on a basis of fairness and equanimity.

"This represents the approach we plan racing. This remains the philosophy in which we tackle competition, and we aim to stay equitable, and we intend to apply equality to our drivers."

Team boss Stella is a veteran of numerous championship fights. He won the title as engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer recovered 17 points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren imploded.

And he lost the title as engineer to Alonso in 2010, when Ferrari made errors in their race strategy at the final race of the championship and enabled Vettel and the Red Bull team to sneak the title from their grasp.

Stella stated following the Grand Prix in Austin: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be determined by the numbers."

"We lean on the experience. I can remember at least 2007, 2010, in which you reach the final Grand Prix and it's in fact the [driver in] third [place] that claims the championship. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is closed by mathematics."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Upgrades on The Current Car?

All teams this season have had to confront the dilemma of for how long to focus on their 2025 car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the significant rules overhaul coming for the 2026 season.

In Formula 1, it's usually the situation that if a team gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period 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 regulations changed.

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

They did continue to develop it for a while, but were finding reduced benefits. So when looking at the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward choice to redirect attention to next year.

Red Bull have closed the gap since introducing their new floor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team boss Stella stated he believed Norris had the pace to compete for the win in Texas had he not ended up behind Charles Leclerc.

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

"Therefore we have a significant chance, and the result of this season and the driver's title is in our hands. It's not in another team's control."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an entirely accurate basis. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had slightly sticky first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently performing much better.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon currently look quite balanced. However, it's not so clear that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

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

He is now significantly nearer than he was. He is consistently setting times within a few hundredths of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

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

Looking back, Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Regardless, over the season, and even currently, it's hard to claim that on average Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari driver this season.

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

Hamilton would not claim even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is expecting the regulation changes next season will suit him; 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 many times this year. But not all struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I suspect the majority in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

When Will We Know The Coming Season's Team Performance?

Before the F1 cars run for the first time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will understand how the constructors are performing in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the teams wanted to get their heads around their initial track time of the power unit changes without the prying eyes of the press.

So the two tests in Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time some kind of sense of comparative speed becomes apparent.

But, as ever, it's only at the season opener that the complete and precise picture will become clear.