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

McLaren are fully conscious of the challenge they encounter with Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this year, but they don't believe to modify their strategy to running the team.

They will persist to give both drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a basis of fairness and equanimity.

"This represents the manner we intend racing. This remains the philosophy in which we approach racing, and we aim to remain equitable, and we intend to apply equal treatment to our drivers."

Team principal Stella is a veteran of many championship fights. He claimed the title as engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the title, while McLaren collapsed.

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

Stella stated after the Grand Prix in Texas: "We look at the next five races as chances to extend the lead on Max. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be led by mathematics."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Development on The Current Car?

Every team this season have had to confront the dilemma of how long to focus on their 2025 car while also ensuring they are as prepared as they can be for the major rules overhaul scheduled for the 2026 season.

In Formula 1, it's typically the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the beginning of a new regulation period, it can take a long time 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 regulations were modified.

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

They continued to develop it for a while, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car versus 2026, it became an easy decision to switch focus to next year.

Red Bull have closed the gap since bringing their updated underfloor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella stated he thought Norris had the speed to compete for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue maximising the car performance and keep delivering good race weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't execute a flawless race."

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

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, I'm not sure the question has an completely correct premise. It's true that each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had slightly difficult opening phases of the championship, in different ways, and that they are now faring much better.

Sainz and Alex Albon currently look very even. However, it's not so clear that, in Hamilton's case, he is yet the "equal" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, at least.

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

He is currently significantly nearer than he was. He is consistently qualifying within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's four-two to Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver made his tire change, and dropped 13 seconds over the rest of the race.

In hindsight, Leclerc was on the optimal race strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even currently, it's difficult to claim that on balance Leclerc has not been the better Ferrari driver this year.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

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

There is a lot for a racing driver to get their head around when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained repeatedly this year. But not all struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 season when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe the majority in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

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

Before the F1 cars run for the initial time in winter testing next year, nobody will know how the constructors are looking in the upcoming season.

The initial session, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is private because the constructors 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 Sakhir on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the initial occasion a certain sense of comparative speed emerges.

But, as ever, it's only at the first race that the true and accurate picture will become clear.