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

McLaren are well aware of the difficulty they face with Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the drivers' championship this year, but they see no reason to change their approach to running the team.

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

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

Team boss Andrea Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He won the title as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver made up 17 points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

And he lost the championship as race engineer to Alonso in the 2010 season, when the Ferrari team made errors in their strategy at the final race of the season and enabled Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the championship from under their noses.

Andrea Stella said after the race in Austin: "We look at the next five races as chances to increase the gap on Verstappen. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by the numbers."

"We rely on the experience. I can recall at least 2007, 2010, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's actually the [driver in] third [place] that wins the title. 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?

All teams this year have had to confront the conundrum of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 season car while also making sure they are as prepared as they can be for the significant rules overhaul scheduled for 2026.

In F1, it's usually the case that if a team 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 advantage can last for a while - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations were modified.

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

They continued to improve it for a while, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 car compared to 2026, it became an easy choice to switch focus to the following season.

Red Bull have caught up since bringing their new floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Texas had he not ended up behind Leclerc.

"We just have to keep maximising the performance and keep executing strong race weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

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

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the inquiry has an completely accurate premise. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are currently performing significantly improved.

Carlos Sainz and Albon currently appear quite balanced. However, it's not so clear that, in Lewis 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 season, either in qualifying or race.

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is regularly setting times 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 Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and dropped 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the best strategy. Nevertheless, over the championship, and even now, it's difficult to claim that on balance Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this year.

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

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even now that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - 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 great deal for a driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Hamilton has explained many times this year. But not every driver struggle in this manner.

Alonso, for instance, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I suspect the majority in Formula 1 would expect not.

How Soon Can We Determine The Coming Season's Competitive Order?

Until the cars run for the initial time in winter testing next year, no-one will understand how the teams are looking in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is behind closed doors because the teams preferred to get their heads around their first running of the power unit changes without the scrutiny of the press.

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

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