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

McLaren are well aware of the challenge they encounter with Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the drivers' championship this year, but they see no reason to change their method to running the team.

They will continue to give both drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a foundation of equity and equanimity.

"This represents the way we plan racing. This is the philosophy in which we approach competition, and we aim to stay fair, and we intend to maintain equal treatment to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He won the championship as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver recovered seventeen points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to secure the title, while the McLaren team collapsed.

And he lost the championship as race engineer to Fernando Alonso in 2010, when the Ferrari team messed up their strategy at the final race of the championship and allowed Vettel and Red Bull to snatch the championship from their grasp.

Andrea Stella commented after the race in Austin: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to extend the gap on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a call as to a team driver, this will only be determined by the numbers."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

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

In F1, it's typically the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they get it right, that benefit can continue for some time - consider Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules changed.

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

They did continue to improve it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. 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 the following season.

Red Bull have caught up since introducing their updated floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella stated he believed Norris had the pace to compete for the win in Austin had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

"We must keep optimising the car performance and keep delivering strong weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a race like Baku, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't execute a flawless race."

"So definitely we have a large chance, and the result 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 Change Constructors?

First of all, I'm not sure the inquiry has an entirely accurate basis. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently faring much better.

Carlos Sainz and Albon currently look quite balanced. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" 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 now much closer than he was. He is consistently setting times within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a full second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque completed his pit stop, and dropped 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

In hindsight, Leclerc was on the best strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even currently, it's difficult to argue that on balance Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari driver this season.

Each of Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how challenging 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 hoping the regulation changes next year will benefit his driving style; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has described many times this season. But not all struggle in this manner.

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

How Soon Can We Determine The Coming Season's Competitive Order?

Until the F1 cars run for the first time in winter testing next year, nobody will know how the constructors are looking next year.

The first test, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is private because the teams preferred to get their heads around their first running of the new engines without the prying eyes of the media.

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

But, as always, it's not until the season opener that the complete and precise situation will emerge.