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Must McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That if You Want Win, You Can't Always Play Fair?

The McLaren team are well aware of the challenge they encounter with Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to alter their approach to managing the team.

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

"This represents the manner we plan racing. This remains the way in which we tackle racing, and we want to remain fair, and we intend to apply equality to both drivers."

Team principal Stella is a seasoned expert of many championship fights. He claimed the title as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver made up seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to secure the title, while the McLaren team collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella said after the race in Austin: "We view the remaining five Grands Prix as opportunities to increase the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will exclusively be determined by the numbers."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

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

In F1, it's typically the case that if a constructor gets it wrong at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they get it right, that benefit can continue for some time - look at 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 investing a lot of innovation into their 2025 season design.

They continued to develop it for a period, but were finding diminishing returns. So when looking at the value for money they were achieving on their 2025 season car versus 2026, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since introducing their new floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team boss Stella said he thought Norris had the pace to compete for the win in Texas had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

"We must continue optimising the car performance and continue delivering good weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a race like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't deliver a perfect race."

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

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

Initially, it's uncertain the inquiry has an entirely accurate premise. It's correct that both Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon do now look quite balanced. However, it's not so clear that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is yet the "match" of Leclerc - or not regularly, at least.

Hamilton has not beaten Charles Leclerc frequently at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

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

This last weekend in Texas, on one of Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second slower than Leclerc when the Monaco driver made his pit stop, and dropped thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal race strategy. Regardless, over the season, and even currently, it's difficult to claim that on balance Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the better Ferrari racer this year.

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

Hamilton would not claim even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is expecting the regulation changes next season will benefit his driving style; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a driver to get their head around when they change constructors, as Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not every driver struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, 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 switched teams? I suspect most in F1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Team Performance?

Before the cars are driven for the first time in winter testing next year, no-one will understand how the constructors are looking next year.

The first test, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the teams wanted to get their heads around their initial track time of the power unit changes without the scrutiny of the press.

So the two tests in Bahrain on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time some kind of sense of relative performance becomes apparent.

But, as ever, it's not until the first race that the complete and precise situation will become clear.