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

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

They will continue to give their two drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a foundation of fairness and balance.

"This is the approach we plan racing. This is the way in which we approach competition, and we aim to remain equitable, and we want to apply equality to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a veteran of many championship fights. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer recovered 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix 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 Ferrari messed up their race strategy at the final race of the season and enabled Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team to snatch the title from under their noses.

Stella commented following the race in Austin: "We view the next five races as opportunities to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by mathematics."

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

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

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

In F1, it's usually the situation that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time to recover. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - consider Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules changed.

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

They continued 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 updated floor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team principal Stella stated he thought Norris had the pace to compete for the victory in Austin had he not ended up following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to keep maximising the performance and continue delivering good weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a race like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't deliver a perfect performance."

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

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an entirely accurate premise. It's true that each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had slightly sticky opening phases of the championship, in different ways, and that they are now faring much better.

Sainz and Albon do now look very even. However, it's not so clear that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc very often at all this season, either in qualifying sessions or race.

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently setting times within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

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

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal race strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even now, it's hard to argue that on average Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this season.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

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

There is a great deal for a driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Hamilton has explained many times this year. But not all faces difficulties in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. 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, no-one will know how the teams are looking in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is private because the teams preferred to get their heads around their initial track time of the new engines without the scrutiny of the press.

So the two tests in Sakhir on February 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 true and accurate situation will emerge.