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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 challenge they confront with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the drivers' championship this season, but they see no reason to change their method to managing the team.

They will persist to provide both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and run the team on a foundation of equity and equanimity.

"This represents the approach we plan competing. This remains the philosophy in which we tackle competition, and we aim to stay fair, and we intend to maintain equal treatment to our 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 driver recovered 17 points under the old scoring system in two races to secure the championship, while McLaren collapsed.

And he lost the championship as race engineer to Alonso in the 2010 season, when Ferrari messed up their race strategy at the last Grand Prix of the championship and enabled Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the title from under their noses.

Stella stated following the race in Texas: "We look at the next five races as chances to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will exclusively be led by mathematics."

"We rely on the past experience. I can recall at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you go to the last race and it's in fact the third-placed driver that wins the title. So we're not going to close the door unless this is closed by the calculations."

What Prompted McLaren to Stop Upgrades on The Current Car?

Every team this season have had to face the conundrum of how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also ensuring they are as prepared as they can be for the major rules overhaul coming for the 2026 season.

In Formula 1, it's usually the case that if a team gets it wrong at the beginning of a new regulation period, it can take a long time to recover. And if they succeed, that benefit can continue for some time - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules changed.

McLaren began this year with the best car, after investing 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 achieving on their 2025 season car versus 2026, it became an easy decision to switch focus to next year.

Red Bull have caught up since bringing their new underfloor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team principal Andrea Stella said he thought Lando Norris had the speed to challenge for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue optimising the performance and keep executing good race weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't execute a perfect performance."

"So definitely we have a large chance, and the outcome of this championship and the drivers' championship is in our control. It's not in someone else's hands."

Team Changes: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, it's uncertain the question has an completely accurate basis. It's true that both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat sticky opening phases of the season, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing much better.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon currently appear quite balanced. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

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

He is now much closer than he previously. He is regularly setting times within a small fraction of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

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

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

Both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to change constructors, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the regulation changes next year will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these venturi cars.

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

Alonso, for instance, was on it from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I believe the majority in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Team Performance?

Until the F1 cars are driven for the initial time in winter testing next year, no-one will understand how the constructors are looking in the upcoming season.

The initial session, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is private because the constructors wanted to understand their initial track time of the power unit changes without the scrutiny of the media.

So the pair of sessions in Bahrain on 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time a certain indication of comparative speed becomes apparent.

But, as ever, it's only at the first race that the complete and precise situation will emerge.