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Do 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 Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this season, but they see no reason to alter their approach to managing the team.

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

"This is the manner we plan competing. This is the philosophy in which we tackle racing, and we aim to stay fair, and we intend to maintain equality to our drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a veteran of numerous championship fights. He claimed the title as race engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver made up seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to secure the championship, while the McLaren team imploded.

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

Stella said following the race in Texas: "We view the next five races as opportunities to increase the gap on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by the numbers."

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

Why Did McLaren Stop Development on This Year's Car?

All teams this season have had to confront the conundrum of for how long to focus on their 2025 season car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the major regulation change coming for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's typically the situation that if a constructor gets it wrong at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they get it right, that advantage can continue for some time - look at Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the last time the rules were modified.

The McLaren team began this season with the best car, after investing a lot of innovation into their 2025 design.

They did continue to improve it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 season car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward choice to redirect attention to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their new floor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team principal Stella said he believed Norris had the speed to challenge for the victory in Texas had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

"We must continue optimising the car performance and continue delivering strong race weekends. And from this perspective, 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 large chance, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not placed in someone else's hands."

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, it's uncertain the question has an entirely accurate premise. It's true that both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are now performing significantly improved.

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

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

He is currently much closer than he previously. He is regularly qualifying within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a second slower than his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his tire change, and dropped thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal race strategy. Regardless, over the season, and even now, it's hard to claim that on average Leclerc has not been the superior Ferrari racer this year.

Both Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Hamilton would not say even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the regulation changes next year will benefit his driving style; he has never really enjoyed these ground-effect vehicles.

There is a lot for a driver to understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has described many times this year. But not all faces difficulties in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the start of the 2023 season when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe most in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

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

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

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is private because the constructors preferred to get their heads around their first running of the new engines without the prying eyes of the press.

So the two tests in Sakhir on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time a certain sense of comparative speed emerges.

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