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Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That if You Want Win, You Can't Always Play Fair?

McLaren are well aware of the obstacle they encounter with Verstappen and Red Bull in the drivers' championship this season, but they see no reason to alter their approach to managing the team.

They will continue to provide 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 tackle competition, and we want to stay fair, and we want to apply equality to our drivers."

Team principal Stella is a veteran of numerous championship fights. He claimed the title as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver recovered 17 points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the title, while the McLaren team imploded.

And he lost the title as engineer to Alonso in 2010, when the Ferrari team made errors in their strategy at the final race of the season and allowed Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team to snatch the championship from their grasp.

Stella said following the race in Texas: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a call as to a team driver, this will exclusively be determined by mathematics."

"We lean on the past experience. I can recall at least 2007, 2010, in which you reach the final Grand Prix and it's in fact the [driver in] third [place] that claims the title. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is determined by the calculations."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Development on This Year's Car?

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

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

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

They did continue to develop it for a period, but were finding reduced benefits. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car versus the 2026 car, it became an easy choice to redirect attention to the following season.

Red Bull have caught up since introducing their updated underfloor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren car stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the speed to challenge for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We must continue maximising the car performance and continue delivering good weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku, we didn't maximise the car's potential and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

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

Driver Transfers: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an entirely correct basis. It's correct that each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

Carlos Sainz and Albon currently appear very even. However, it's not so clear that, in Hamilton's case, he is yet the "equal" of Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc frequently at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

He is currently significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently setting times within a small fraction 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 Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a full second behind Leclerc when the Monegasque made his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

In hindsight, Leclerc was on the best strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even now, it's difficult to claim that on balance Leclerc has not been the better Ferrari racer this season.

Each of Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even now that he was fully adapted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the regulation changes next year will suit him; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a driver to understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has described many times this season. But not every driver faces difficulties in this way.

Alonso, for example, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I believe the majority in Formula 1 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 Barcelona on 26-30 January, is private because the teams wanted to understand their initial track time of the power unit changes without the scrutiny of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Sakhir on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion a certain indication of relative performance emerges.

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