🔗 Share this article

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

McLaren are well aware of the obstacle they face with Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this season, but they don't believe to change their method to managing the team.

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

"This is the manner we plan competing. This is the way in which we tackle racing, and we want to remain equitable, and we intend to maintain equality to our drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of many title battles. He claimed the title as race engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver made up 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren collapsed.

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

Stella stated after the race in Texas: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the gap on Max. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We rely on the past experience. I can recall at least 2007, 2010, in which you reach the last race and it's actually the [driver in] third [place] that wins the title. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is determined by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Stop Development on The Current Car?

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

In F1, it's typically the case that if a constructor gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, 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 rules were modified.

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

They continued to improve it for a period, but were finding reduced benefits. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to next year.

Red Bull have caught up since introducing their updated underfloor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he thought Norris had the speed to compete for the win in Austin had he not ended up following Charles Leclerc.

"We must continue maximising the performance and keep executing good race weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the car's potential and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

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

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an entirely accurate premise. It's correct that each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had slightly sticky opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring much better.

Sainz and Alex Albon currently appear quite balanced. However, it's not so clear that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is yet the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not consistently, anyway.

Hamilton has not beaten Charles Leclerc frequently at all this season, either in qualifying sessions or race.

He is now much closer than he previously. He is consistently qualifying within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque made his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Nevertheless, over the championship, and even now, it's hard to argue that on balance Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this season.

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

Hamilton would not say even now that he was fully adapted to the Ferrari car - and he is expecting 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 understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not every driver faces difficulties in this way.

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

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

Until the cars are driven for the initial time in pre-season testing next season, no-one will know how the constructors are looking in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is private because the teams wanted to understand their first running of the new engines without the scrutiny of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Bahrain on February 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion some kind of 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.