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

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

They will continue to provide their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and operate the team on a foundation of equity and equanimity.

"This is the approach we plan competing. This remains the method in which we tackle competition, and we aim to remain fair, and we intend to apply equal treatment to both drivers."

Team boss Andrea Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He won the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up 17 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 Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari messed up their strategy at the final race of the championship and allowed Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the championship from their grasp.

Andrea Stella commented following the Grand Prix in Austin: "We view the next five races as chances to increase the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by the numbers."

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

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

Every team this season have had to confront the conundrum of how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also ensuring 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 gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations changed.

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

They continued to develop it for a period, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward choice to switch focus to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their new underfloor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team principal Andrea Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the pace to compete for the win in Austin had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

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

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

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an entirely accurate basis. It's true that both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had slightly difficult opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are now faring significantly improved.

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

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

He is currently significantly nearer than he was. He is regularly setting times within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second slower than Leclerc when the Monegasque made his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the Grand Prix.

Looking back, Charles 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 driver this year.

Both Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

Hamilton would not claim even currently that he was fully adapted to the Ferrari car - and he is hoping the regulation changes next year will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a racing driver to get their head around when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not every driver struggle in this way.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 season when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe the majority in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

How Soon Can We Determine Next Year's Competitive Order?

Until the cars run for the first time in pre-season testing next year, no-one will know how the constructors are looking next year.

The initial session, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is private because the teams wanted to understand their initial track time of the new engines without the prying eyes of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Sakhir on February 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time a certain sense of relative performance emerges.

But, as ever, it's only at the first race that the complete and precise picture will become clear.