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

McLaren are fully conscious of the challenge they confront with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this season, but they see no reason to alter their strategy to running the team.

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

"This is the manner we intend competing. This remains the way in which we tackle competition, and we want to remain equitable, and we intend to maintain equality to both drivers."

Team boss Stella is a veteran of many title battles. He claimed the title as engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the previous points system in two races to win the title, while McLaren collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella stated after the Grand Prix in Texas: "We view the next five races as opportunities to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a call as to a team driver, this will only be determined by the numbers."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Development on The Current Car?

All teams this season have had to confront the dilemma of how long to focus 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 Formula 1, 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 last for a while - look at the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the rules changed.

The McLaren team began this year with the best car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 design.

They continued to improve it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. So when looking at the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car versus 2026, it became an straightforward decision to switch focus to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since introducing their updated floor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team principal Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Texas had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue optimising the performance and continue delivering strong race weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a race like Baku, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless performance."

"So definitely we have a significant opportunity, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not in another team's control."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

Initially, it's uncertain the question has an entirely correct basis. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had slightly sticky first halves of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing much better.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon do now appear very even. However, it's less certain that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is currently the "equal" of Charles Leclerc - or not consistently, anyway.

Lewis Hamilton has failed to outperform Leclerc frequently at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or race.

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently setting times within a few hundredths of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This previous weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver made his pit stop, and dropped 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

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

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

Hamilton would not say even currently that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is expecting the regulation changes next year 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 switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has described many times this season. But not all struggle in this way.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was on it from the start of the 2023 season when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he changed constructors? I suspect the majority in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know The Coming Season's Team Performance?

Until the cars are driven for the initial time in pre-season testing next year, no-one will know how the constructors are looking next year.

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

So the two tests in Bahrain on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion a certain indication of relative performance emerges.

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