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Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That if You Want Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

McLaren are fully conscious of the obstacle they face with Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to modify 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 fairness and balance.

"This is the approach we intend competing. This is the philosophy in which we tackle competition, and we aim to remain equitable, and we intend to apply equality to both drivers."

Team principal Stella is a seasoned expert of many championship fights. He claimed the title as engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer recovered seventeen points under the previous points system in two races to win the title, while the McLaren team collapsed.

And he missed out on the championship as engineer to Fernando Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari 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.

Andrea Stella said following the race in Austin: "We look at the next five races as chances to extend the gap on Verstappen. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We lean on the experience. I can recall at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you reach the final Grand Prix and it's actually 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 Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

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

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a team gets it wrong at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time to catch up. And if they succeed, that advantage can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations were modified.

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

They continued to improve it for a while, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when looking at the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car compared to the 2026 car, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to next year.

Red Bull have closed the gap since bringing their new floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team boss Stella stated he believed Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Austin had he not ended up behind Charles Leclerc.

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

"So definitely we have a large chance, and the result of this season and the driver's title is in our control. It's not in someone else's hands."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, I'm not sure the inquiry has an completely correct basis. It's correct that both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky opening phases of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently faring much better.

Sainz and Albon currently look quite balanced. However, it's less certain that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not consistently, anyway.

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

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

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and lost 13 seconds over the rest of the Grand Prix.

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

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

Hamilton would not claim even now that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - and he is expecting the new rules next season will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these ground-effect vehicles.

There is a great deal for a driver to understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Hamilton has described repeatedly this year. But not all faces difficulties in this manner.

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

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

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

The first test, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the constructors wanted to get their heads around their initial track time of the new engines without the prying eyes of the media.

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

But, as ever, it's not until the first race that the complete and precise situation will emerge.