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Must McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That to Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

The McLaren team are well aware of the obstacle they face with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this year, but they don't believe to modify their approach to running the team.

They will persist to provide their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a foundation of fairness and balance.

"This is the way we plan racing. This remains the method in which we tackle racing, and we aim to stay fair, and we intend to maintain equality to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a seasoned expert of many title battles. He won the championship as engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver recovered 17 points under the previous points system in two races to secure the title, while the McLaren team collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella said following the race in Austin: "We look at the next five races as chances to extend the lead on Max. And when it involves having to make a call as to a team driver, this will exclusively be determined by the numbers."

"We lean on the past experience. I can recall at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you go to the last race 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 the calculations."

Why Did McLaren Cease Development on This Year's Car?

Every team this year have had to face the dilemma of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also making sure 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 situation that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they get it right, that advantage can continue for some time - consider Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules were modified.

McLaren began this season with the fastest car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 season design.

They did continue to improve it for a period, but were finding reduced benefits. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 season car versus 2026, it became an easy decision to redirect attention to next year.

The Red Bull team have caught up since bringing their new underfloor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team principal Andrea Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Texas had he not finished behind Leclerc.

"We must continue maximising the car performance and keep executing strong race weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a race like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

"Therefore we have a significant opportunity, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our hands. It's not in someone else's hands."

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, it's uncertain the question has an completely accurate basis. It's correct that each of Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult opening phases of the championship, in different ways, and that they are now faring much better.

Carlos Sainz and Albon do now appear very even. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is yet the "equal" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

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

He is currently significantly nearer than he was. He is regularly setting times within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a second behind his teammate when the Monegasque made his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the Grand Prix.

In hindsight, Leclerc was on the best race strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even now, it's hard to argue that on balance Leclerc has not been the superior Ferrari driver this season.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Hamilton would not say even now that he was fully adapted to the Ferrari car - 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 understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained many times this year. But not every driver faces difficulties in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the start of the 2023 season when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I believe the majority in Formula 1 would expect not.

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

Until the F1 cars are driven for the first time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will know how the constructors are performing in the upcoming season.

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

So the two tests 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 only at the first race that the complete and precise picture will emerge.