🔗 Share this article

Must McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That if You Want Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

The McLaren team are well aware of the challenge they face with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this season, but they don't believe to modify their strategy to running the team.

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

"This represents the manner we intend racing. This is the way in which we approach competition, and we aim to remain equitable, and we intend to maintain equal treatment to our drivers."

Team boss Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous championship fights. He won the championship as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver recovered seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to secure the title, while McLaren imploded.

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

Stella commented after the race in Texas: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as opportunities to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a team driver, this will exclusively be led by the numbers."

"We rely on the experience. I can recall at least 2007, the 2010 season, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's actually the third-placed driver that claims the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is closed by the calculations."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Development on The Current Car?

All teams this season have had to confront the dilemma of for how long to concentrate on their 2025 season car while also ensuring they are as prepared as they can be for the major regulation change scheduled for the 2026 season.

In F1, it's typically the situation that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they get it right, that benefit can continue for some time - look at Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the regulations were modified.

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

They continued to develop it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. So when looking at the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 season car compared to 2026, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to the following season.

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

"We just have to continue maximising the performance and continue executing strong weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

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

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, it's uncertain the question has an entirely correct 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 now faring significantly improved.

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

Hamilton has failed to outperform Charles Leclerc very often at all this season, either in qualifying or Grand Prix.

He is currently much closer than he previously. He is regularly qualifying within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second slower than his teammate when the Monegasque completed his pit stop, and dropped 13 seconds over the rest of the race.

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

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how difficult 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 the Ferrari car - and he is expecting the regulation changes next season will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these ground-effect vehicles.

There is a great deal for a driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not all struggle in this way.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I suspect most in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

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

Before the cars are driven for the first time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will understand how the constructors are performing next year.

The first test, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the constructors wanted to get their heads around their initial track time of the power unit changes 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 indication of relative performance emerges.

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