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Must McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That if You Want Win, It's Not Always Possible to Play Fair?

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

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

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

Team principal Stella is a veteran of numerous championship fights. He won the title 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 win the championship, while McLaren collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella said following the Grand Prix in Texas: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to increase the lead on Verstappen. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will exclusively be led by the numbers."

"We lean on the past experience. I can recall at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you reach the final Grand Prix and it's in fact the [driver in] third [place] that claims the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by mathematics."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Development on The Current 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 rules overhaul scheduled for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start 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 - look at Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the regulations were modified.

McLaren started this season with the best car, after putting a lot of innovation into their 2025 design.

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

Red Bull have closed the gap since introducing their new floor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team principal Stella said he believed Lando Norris had the pace to compete for the victory in Texas had he not finished following Leclerc.

"We just have to keep optimising the car performance and continue delivering good race weekends. And from this point of view, if you consider a Grand Prix like Baku, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't execute a flawless performance."

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

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an completely accurate premise. It's true that both Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are now faring significantly improved.

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

Hamilton has not beaten Charles Leclerc very often at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or race.

He is currently significantly nearer than he previously. He is regularly qualifying within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a second behind Leclerc when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the Grand Prix.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even currently, it's difficult to argue that on average Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the better Ferrari racer this season.

Both 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 now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the new rules next season will benefit his driving style; he has never really enjoyed these ground-effect vehicles.

There is a lot for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained many times this season. But not every driver faces difficulties in this manner.

Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I suspect the majority in F1 would expect not.

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

Until the F1 cars run for the first time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will know how the constructors are looking in the upcoming season.

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

So the two tests in Sakhir on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time a certain indication of relative performance emerges.

But, as always, it's only at the season opener that the true and accurate picture will emerge.