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Must McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That if You Want Win, You Can't Always Play Fair?

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

They will continue to give their two drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a basis of equity and balance.

"This is the manner we intend racing. This is the philosophy in which we approach racing, and we want to stay equitable, and we want to apply equal treatment to both drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of many championship fights. He won the title as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver made up seventeen points under the old scoring system in two races to win the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

And he missed out on the title as engineer to Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari messed up their strategy at the final race of the season and enabled Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the title from their grasp.

Stella stated after the Grand Prix in Austin: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as opportunities to extend the lead on Max. And when it involves having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We rely on the experience. I can recall at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you reach the last race and it's in fact the third-placed driver that claims the championship. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is closed by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

Every team this season have had to confront the conundrum of how long to focus on their 2025 season car while also making sure they are as prepared as they can be for the major rules overhaul coming for the 2026 season.

In F1, it's usually the case that if a team gets it wrong at the beginning of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - consider Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the regulations were modified.

McLaren started this year with the fastest car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 design.

They continued to improve it for a while, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car compared to 2026, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their updated floor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team boss Andrea Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the speed to compete for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Leclerc.

"We just have to keep optimising the performance and keep delivering good race 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 performance."

"Therefore we have a large opportunity, and the outcome 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 accurate premise. It's correct that both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing much better.

Carlos Sainz and Albon currently look very even. However, it's not so clear that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Leclerc - or not consistently, at least.

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

He is now much closer than he was. He is consistently qualifying 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 Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a full second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque made his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the best race strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even currently, it's hard to argue that on balance Charles Leclerc has not been the better Ferrari racer this year.

Each of Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Hamilton would not say even currently that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - and he is expecting the new rules 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 switch teams, as Hamilton has explained repeatedly this year. But not all struggle in this manner.

Alonso, for instance, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he moved to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he changed constructors? I suspect the majority in F1 would expect not.

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

Before the cars are driven for the first time in pre-season testing next season, no-one will understand how the constructors are performing in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is private because the constructors wanted to get their heads around their first running of the power unit changes without the prying eyes of the media.

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

But, as ever, it's only at the season opener that the complete and precise situation will emerge.