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

McLaren are well aware of the challenge they face with Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this year, but they don't believe to modify their method to running the team.

They will continue to give their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a basis of equity and equanimity.

"This is the manner we plan racing. This remains the philosophy in which we tackle competition, and we aim to remain fair, and we intend to apply equal treatment to our drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous championship fights. He won the championship as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer recovered seventeen points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella said after the race in Austin: "We view the next five races as chances to increase the gap on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will exclusively be determined by the numbers."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

Every team this season have had to face the dilemma of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also making sure they are as prepared as they can be for the significant rules overhaul coming for 2026.

In F1, it's usually the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a long time to recover. And if they succeed, that benefit 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 fastest car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 season design.

They continued to develop it for a period, but were finding reduced benefits. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car versus 2026, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to the following season.

Red Bull have closed the gap since introducing their updated floor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the speed to challenge for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Leclerc.

"We must keep optimising the performance and keep delivering strong weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a race like Baku, we failed to optimize the car's potential and we didn't deliver a perfect race."

"Therefore we have a significant chance, and the outcome of this championship and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not placed in another team's control."

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an entirely accurate basis. It's correct that both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had slightly difficult first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

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

Lewis Hamilton has failed to outperform Leclerc frequently at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

He is currently significantly nearer than he was. He is regularly qualifying within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying it's four-two to Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second slower than his teammate when the Monegasque completed his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the best race strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even currently, it's difficult to claim that on average Leclerc has not been the better Ferrari racer this year.

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

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

There is a lot for a driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Hamilton has described many times this season. But not all struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was on it from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe the majority in F1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

Until the F1 cars run for the first time in pre-season testing next year, no-one will understand how the teams are looking in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the teams preferred to understand their initial track time of the new engines without the scrutiny of the press.

So the pair of sessions in Sakhir on February 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the initial occasion a certain indication of relative performance becomes apparent.

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