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

McLaren are well aware of the challenge they encounter with Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this season, but they see no reason to change their strategy to running the team.

They will continue to give their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and operate the team on a basis of fairness and equanimity.

"This is the manner we intend competing. This is the way in which we tackle competition, and we aim to remain equitable, and we intend to maintain equality to both drivers."

Team boss Andrea Stella is a veteran of many championship fights. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer recovered 17 points under the old scoring system in two races to win the title, while the McLaren team collapsed.

And he missed out on the title as race engineer to Alonso in 2010, when Ferrari made errors in their strategy at the last Grand Prix of the season and enabled Vettel and the Red Bull team to snatch the championship from under their noses.

Stella said after the Grand Prix in Austin: "We view the next five races as chances to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will exclusively be determined by the numbers."

"We rely on the past experience. I can recall at least the 2007 season, 2010, in which you reach the last race and it's in fact the third-placed driver that wins the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by the calculations."

Why Did McLaren Cease Upgrades on This Year's Car?

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

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a team gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the rules changed.

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

They did continue to improve it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. So when evaluating the value for money they were getting on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to next year.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since introducing their updated underfloor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team principal Stella said he believed Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We must keep maximising the car performance and continue executing good race weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a race like Baku, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't execute a flawless race."

"Therefore we have a significant chance, and the outcome of this season and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not in someone else's hands."

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

Initially, it's uncertain the inquiry has an entirely correct premise. It's correct that each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the season, in varying manners, and that they are now performing much better.

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

Lewis Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc very often at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

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

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred circuits, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his tire change, and dropped 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

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

Each of Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even currently that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - 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 great deal for a driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has described many times this season. But not every driver struggle in this manner.

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

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

Before the F1 cars are driven for the initial time in winter testing next year, no-one will know how the constructors are performing in the upcoming season.

The initial session, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the constructors preferred to get their heads around their initial track time of the new engines without the scrutiny of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Sakhir on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time some kind of sense of comparative speed becomes apparent.

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