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

McLaren are well aware of the challenge they confront with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to change their strategy to managing the team.

They will persist to provide both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a basis of fairness and equanimity.

"This represents the way we plan competing. This remains the philosophy in which we approach competition, and we aim to stay fair, and we want to maintain equality to our drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He won the championship as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the previous points system in two races to secure the title, while the McLaren team imploded.

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

Andrea Stella stated following the race in Texas: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to increase the lead on Max. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We rely on the past experience. I can remember at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you go to the last race and it's in fact the [driver in] third [place] that claims the title. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by mathematics."

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

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

In F1, it's usually the situation that if a team makes mistakes at the beginning of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time to catch up. And if they get it right, that benefit can last for a while - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the rules changed.

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

They did continue to develop it for a while, but were finding reduced benefits. So when looking at the value for money they were achieving on their 2025 car compared to the 2026 car, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to next year.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their updated floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the pace to challenge for the win in Texas had he not ended up behind Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue maximising the car performance and continue executing good weekends. And from this point of view, if you consider a Grand Prix like Baku, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't deliver a perfect race."

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

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, I'm not sure the question has an completely correct premise. It's correct that each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat sticky first halves of the championship, in different ways, and that they are now faring much better.

Sainz and Albon currently look very even. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is yet the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not consistently, anyway.

Lewis Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc very often 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 Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a full second slower than Leclerc when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal 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 driver this year.

Each of Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how challenging it is to switch teams, and we have to accept their statements.

Hamilton would not claim even currently that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - and he is hoping the new rules next season will suit him; he has never really enjoyed these ground-effect vehicles.

There is a great deal for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Hamilton has described repeatedly this season. But not all struggle in this manner.

Alonso, for instance, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I suspect the majority in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

How Soon Can We Determine Next Year's Team Performance?

Until the F1 cars are driven for the initial time in winter testing next year, no-one will understand how the constructors are looking next year.

The first test, in Barcelona on January 26-30, is private because the constructors preferred to understand their first running of the power unit changes without the scrutiny of the media.

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

But, as ever, it's not until the first race that the true and accurate picture will become clear.