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

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

They will persist to provide both drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a basis of fairness and equanimity.

"This is the way we intend racing. This is the philosophy in which we tackle competition, and we aim to remain fair, and we intend to apply equal treatment to both drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He won the championship as engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer recovered 17 points under the previous points system in two races to win the title, while McLaren imploded.

And he missed out on the championship as engineer to Alonso in 2010, when Ferrari messed up their strategy at the last Grand Prix of the championship and enabled Vettel and the Red Bull team to snatch the championship from their grasp.

Andrea Stella said following the Grand Prix in Texas: "We view the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to extend the lead on Max. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be determined 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 [driver in] third [place] that claims the title. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by mathematics."

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

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

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a team makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they succeed, that advantage 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 began this year with the best car, after putting a lot of innovation into their 2025 design.

They continued to improve it for a period, but were experiencing reduced benefits. So when evaluating the value for money they were achieving on their 2025 season car versus the 2026 car, it became an easy decision to redirect attention to next year.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since introducing their new floor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Stella stated he believed Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the victory in Texas had he not finished behind Leclerc.

"We must continue maximising the performance and continue delivering 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 performance."

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

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an entirely correct premise. It's correct that each of Hamilton and Sainz had slightly sticky first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are now faring significantly improved.

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

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

He is now much closer than he was. He is consistently setting times within a few hundredths of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monegasque completed his tire change, and lost 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

In hindsight, Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Nevertheless, over the championship, and even currently, it's difficult to argue that on balance Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this year.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

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 suit him; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a great deal for a driver to understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Hamilton has explained many times this year. But not all struggle in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I believe the majority in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

How Soon Can We Determine Next Year's Competitive Order?

Before the cars run for the initial time in winter testing next year, nobody will know how the constructors are looking next year.

The initial session, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the constructors preferred to get their heads around their first running of the new engines without the scrutiny of the media.

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

But, as always, it's not until the season opener that the complete and precise picture will become clear.