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Must McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That if You Want Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

McLaren are fully conscious of the challenge they face with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the drivers' championship this year, but they see no reason to alter their method to managing the team.

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

"This is the manner we intend racing. This is the philosophy in which we tackle competition, and we want to remain equitable, and we want to maintain equal treatment to our drivers."

Team boss Andrea Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up seventeen points under the previous points system in two races to secure the championship, while the McLaren team imploded.

And he missed out on the championship as engineer to Alonso in 2010, when Ferrari messed up their strategy at the last Grand Prix of the season and allowed Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to snatch the title from under their noses.

Stella said following the race in Austin: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to extend the gap on Max. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will exclusively be led by mathematics."

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

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

All teams this season have had to face the dilemma of for how long to focus on their 2025 season car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the major rules overhaul scheduled for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they get it right, that advantage can last for a while - consider Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations changed.

The McLaren team began this year with the fastest car, after investing 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 evaluating the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 car versus the 2026 car, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their new floor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team boss Stella said he thought Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Texas had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue maximising the car performance and continue executing strong race weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't execute a flawless race."

"So definitely we have a large chance, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not placed in another team's control."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an entirely correct premise. It's correct that both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the championship, in different ways, and that they are currently faring much better.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon currently appear quite balanced. However, it's not so clear that, in Hamilton's case, he is yet the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not consistently, at least.

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

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

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque completed his pit stop, and dropped thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even currently, it's hard to claim that on average Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the better Ferrari racer this year.

Each of 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 now that he was fully adapted to the Ferrari car - and he is expecting the new rules next year will suit him; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

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

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he moved to Aston Martin. And would Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I believe most in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

When Will We Know The Coming Season's Competitive Order?

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

The first test, in Catalunya 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 scrutiny of the media.

So the two tests in Sakhir on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time a certain sense of comparative speed emerges.

But, as always, it's not until the season opener that the complete and precise situation will emerge.