🔗 Share this article

Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That to Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

McLaren are fully conscious of the challenge they face with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the drivers' championship this year, but they see no reason to change their approach to managing the team.

They will continue to give their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a basis of equity and balance.

"This represents the way we intend racing. This remains the method in which we approach competition, and we aim to remain equitable, and we intend to apply equal treatment to our drivers."

Team principal Stella is a seasoned expert of many title battles. He won the title as race engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver recovered seventeen points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren collapsed.

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 season and enabled Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team to sneak the championship from under their noses.

Andrea Stella commented following the race in Texas: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to extend the gap on Max. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be led by mathematics."

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

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

Every team this season have had to confront the dilemma of how long to focus on their 2025 car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the significant rules overhaul scheduled for the 2026 season.

In Formula 1, it's usually the situation 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 succeed, that advantage can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations changed.

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

They continued to develop it for a period, but were finding diminishing returns. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 car versus 2026, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to next year.

The Red Bull team have caught up since bringing their new floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the speed to compete for the win in Austin had he not finished behind Leclerc.

"We must keep optimising the car performance and continue executing strong weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't deliver a perfect performance."

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

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

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

Sainz and Albon currently appear very even. However, it's less certain that, in Lewis Hamilton's case, he is currently the "equal" of Leclerc - or not consistently, at least.

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

He is currently significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently qualifying within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a second behind Leclerc when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

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

Both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even currently that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - and he is expecting the new rules next year will suit him; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a racing driver to get their head around when they switch teams, as Hamilton has described repeatedly this season. But not all struggle in this way.

Alonso, for example, was on it from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I suspect the majority in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

How Soon Can We Determine The Coming Season's Team Performance?

Before the F1 cars are driven for the first time in pre-season testing next season, no-one will understand how the teams are looking next year.

The initial session, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is private 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 18-20 February will be the initial occasion a certain sense of comparative speed emerges.

But, as ever, it's not until the first race that the true and accurate picture will emerge.