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Do McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That if You Want Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

The McLaren team are fully conscious of the challenge they encounter with Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this season, but they don't believe to modify their method to managing the team.

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

"This represents the way we intend racing. This remains the philosophy in which we tackle racing, and we aim to stay equitable, and we intend to apply equal treatment to our drivers."

Team boss Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He claimed the title as engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver recovered seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while the McLaren team imploded.

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

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

"We lean on the experience. I can remember at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you go to the last race and it's actually the [driver in] third [place] that wins the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Stop Upgrades on The Current Car?

Every team this year have had to face the dilemma of for how long to focus on their 2025 season car while also ensuring they are as ready as they can be for the major regulation change coming for the 2026 season.

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a team gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they get it right, that benefit can continue for some time - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules changed.

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

They did continue to develop it for a while, but were finding reduced benefits. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 season car compared to 2026, it became an straightforward decision to switch focus to next year.

The Red Bull team have caught up since introducing their new floor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team principal Stella said he believed Lando Norris had the pace to challenge for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We must keep maximising the car performance and continue delivering strong weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't execute a perfect performance."

"Therefore we have a large opportunity, and the outcome of this championship and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not placed in someone else's hands."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an completely correct basis. It's true that both Hamilton and Sainz had slightly difficult opening phases of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently faring much better.

Sainz and Alex Albon currently appear very even. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is yet the "match" of Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

Hamilton has not beaten Charles Leclerc frequently at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently qualifying within a few hundredths of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Leclerc since the summer break.

This last weekend in Texas, on one of Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a full second slower than his teammate when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and dropped thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

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

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

Hamilton would not say even currently that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the new rules next year will suit him; he has never really enjoyed these ground-effect vehicles.

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

Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he changed constructors? I suspect the majority in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

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

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

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

But, as always, it's only at the first race that the complete and precise situation will emerge.