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

McLaren are fully conscious of the obstacle they face with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to alter their strategy to managing the team.

They will persist to give both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a foundation of equity and equanimity.

"This represents the approach we plan competing. This is the way in which we tackle racing, and we aim to remain fair, and we want to apply equality to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a seasoned expert of many title battles. He won the championship as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver 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 title as engineer to Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari made errors in their race strategy at the final race of the season and allowed Vettel and the Red Bull team to sneak the title from their grasp.

Stella said after the race in Texas: "We look at the next five races as chances to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We lean on the past experience. I can remember at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you reach the final Grand Prix 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."

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

Every team this season have had to face the conundrum of for how long to focus on their 2025 season car while also ensuring they are as ready as they can be for the major regulation change coming for the 2026 season.

In F1, it's usually the situation that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a long time to catch up. And if they succeed, that advantage can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules were modified.

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

They continued to develop it for a period, but were finding reduced benefits. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car compared to 2026, it became an straightforward choice to switch focus to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their new floor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team boss Stella stated he believed Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to keep optimising the performance and keep executing good weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a race like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't execute a perfect race."

"So definitely we have a significant opportunity, and the result of this season and the driver's title is in our hands. It's not in someone else's hands."

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the inquiry has an entirely accurate basis. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing significantly improved.

Sainz and Alex Albon do now appear very even. However, it's not so clear that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

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

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is regularly qualifying within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred circuits, he was a second slower than Leclerc when the Monegasque made his pit stop, and dropped 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even now, it's difficult to argue that on average Charles Leclerc has not been the superior Ferrari racer this year.

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

Hamilton would not say even now that he was fully adapted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the regulation changes next season will benefit his driving style; 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 change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has described repeatedly this year. But not every driver struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the start of the 2023 when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

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

Before the cars run for the initial time in pre-season testing next season, no-one will know how the teams are looking next year.

The first test, in Barcelona on January 26-30, 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 Bahrain on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the initial occasion some kind of indication of comparative speed becomes apparent.

But, as always, it's not until the season opener that the complete and precise picture will become clear.