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Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That to Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

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

They will continue to provide their two drivers the best chance they can and run the team on a foundation of equity and balance.

"This represents the manner we intend competing. This remains the way in which we tackle competition, and we want to stay equitable, and we want to apply equality to our drivers."

Team boss Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous championship fights. He won the title as engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver made up 17 points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to secure the title, while the McLaren team imploded.

And he lost the championship as engineer to Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari messed up their strategy at the final race of the season and allowed Vettel and the Red Bull team to sneak the championship from their grasp.

Andrea Stella said following the race in Texas: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to increase 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 experience. I can remember at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you go to 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 the calculations."

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Upgrades on This Year's Car?

Every team this season have had to face the dilemma of how long to focus on their 2025 car while also ensuring they are as ready as they can be for the significant regulation change coming for the 2026 season.

In Formula 1, it's typically the situation that if a team gets it wrong at the beginning of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time to recover. And if they get it right, that benefit can continue for some time - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the regulations were modified.

McLaren began this season with the best car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 design.

They did continue to improve it for a period, but were experiencing reduced benefits. So when looking at the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to the following season.

The Red Bull team have caught up since introducing their updated underfloor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella stated he thought Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Texas had he not ended up behind Leclerc.

"We just have to continue maximising the car performance and keep delivering strong race weekends. And from this point of view, if you consider a race like Baku, we failed to optimize the car's potential and we didn't execute a perfect race."

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

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an completely accurate premise. It's correct that both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had slightly difficult first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are now faring much better.

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

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

He is currently much closer than he previously. He is regularly setting times within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the best strategy. Regardless, over the season, and even now, it's hard to argue that on balance Charles Leclerc has not been the superior Ferrari driver this year.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how difficult 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 regulation changes next season will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these ground-effect vehicles.

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

Alonso, for example, was performing well from the start of the 2023 season when he moved to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he changed constructors? I believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Team Performance?

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

The initial session, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is private because the constructors 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 Bahrain on February 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion a certain indication of comparative speed becomes apparent.

But, as ever, it's only at the season opener that the true and accurate picture will become clear.