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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 encounter with Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this season, but they see no reason to alter their method to running the team.

They will continue to provide their two drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a basis of equity and equanimity.

"This represents the manner we intend racing. This is the method in which we tackle competition, and we want to remain equitable, and we want to apply equality to both drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous title battles. He claimed the title as engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer made up seventeen points under the previous points system in two races to secure the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

And he lost the championship as race engineer to Fernando Alonso in the 2010 season, when the Ferrari team made errors in their race strategy at the last Grand Prix of the season and allowed Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the championship from their grasp.

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

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

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Development on The Current Car?

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

In F1, it's typically the case that if a constructor gets it wrong at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time 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 began this year with the fastest car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 season design.

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

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since introducing their updated floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team principal Stella said he believed Norris had the pace to compete for the win in Texas had he not ended up following Leclerc.

"We must keep maximising the performance and continue delivering strong race weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a race like Baku, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't execute a flawless performance."

"So definitely we have a significant chance, and the outcome of this championship and the drivers' championship is in our hands. It's not placed in someone else's hands."

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the inquiry has an completely correct basis. It's true that each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had slightly sticky opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing significantly improved.

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

Hamilton has failed to outperform Leclerc very often at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

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

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

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the best race strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even currently, it's hard to argue that on balance Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this year.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not say even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is expecting the regulation changes next year will suit him; he has never particularly liked these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has described repeatedly this year. But not every driver faces difficulties in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was performing well from the beginning of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I believe the majority in F1 would expect not.

How Soon Can We Determine Next Year's Team Performance?

Before the cars run for the first time in pre-season testing next year, no-one will know how the constructors are looking next year.

The initial session, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is private because the constructors wanted to get their heads around their first running of the new engines without the prying eyes of the press.

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

But, as always, it's only at the season opener that the true and accurate picture will become clear.