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

McLaren are well aware of the obstacle they face with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this season, but they don't believe to alter their method to managing the team.

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

"This is the manner we intend racing. This is the method in which we tackle racing, and we aim to remain equitable, and we want to maintain equality to both drivers."

Team boss Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous title battles. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer recovered 17 points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to secure the title, while McLaren collapsed.

And he missed out on the championship as engineer to Alonso in 2010, when the Ferrari team made errors in their race strategy at the final race of the season and enabled Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the championship from their grasp.

Stella commented after the Grand Prix in Texas: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the lead on Max. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be led by the numbers."

"We rely on the past experience. I can recall at least 2007, 2010, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's actually the third-placed driver that wins 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?

Every team this season have had to confront the dilemma of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 season car while also ensuring they are as prepared as they can be for the significant regulation change scheduled for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's typically the situation that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they get it right, that advantage can last for a while - look at Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations were modified.

McLaren started this season with the best car, after investing a lot of innovation into their 2025 design.

They did continue to develop it for a period, but were experiencing reduced benefits. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an easy choice to switch focus to the following season.

Red Bull have closed the gap since bringing their updated underfloor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team boss Stella stated he thought Norris had the speed to challenge for the victory in Texas had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We must continue optimising the car performance and continue executing strong weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the car's potential and we didn't execute a flawless race."

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

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, it's uncertain the inquiry has an entirely accurate premise. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had slightly difficult opening phases of the season, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing much better.

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

Lewis Hamilton has not beaten Charles Leclerc very often at all this year, either in qualifying or Grand Prix.

He is currently significantly nearer than he previously. He is regularly qualifying 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 Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a second slower than Leclerc when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and lost 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 hard to claim that on average Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this season.

Both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to switch teams, and we have to accept their statements.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even currently that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the new rules 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 Lewis Hamilton has described many times this season. But not every driver struggle in this way.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

Before the cars run for the initial time in winter testing next season, no-one will know how the constructors are performing next year.

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the constructors preferred to get their heads around their first running of the power unit changes without the scrutiny of the press.

So the two tests in Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the initial occasion a certain sense of comparative speed emerges.

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