Will the McLaren team Keep Playing Fair and Stop Max Verstappen? - Formula 1 Q&A

Must McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That to Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

McLaren are well aware of the obstacle they face with Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to modify their method to managing the team.

They will continue to provide their two drivers the best chance they can and run the team on a basis of fairness and equanimity.

"This represents the approach we plan competing. This remains the way in which we tackle racing, and we aim to remain equitable, and we intend to maintain equal treatment to our drivers."

Team boss Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous championship fights. He claimed the title as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while the McLaren team imploded.

And he missed out on the championship as engineer to Fernando Alonso in 2010, when Ferrari made errors in their strategy at the final race of the championship and allowed Vettel and Red Bull to sneak the championship from under their noses.

Andrea Stella stated after the race in Texas: "We view the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to extend the gap on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a driver, this will only be led by the numbers."

"We rely on the 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."

Why Did McLaren Stop Development on The Current Car?

All teams this season have had to face the dilemma of how long to concentrate on their 2025 season car while also making sure they are as prepared as they can be for the major rules overhaul scheduled for the 2026 season.

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

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

They continued to develop it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. So when evaluating the value for money they were getting on their 2025 season car versus 2026, it became an straightforward choice to redirect attention to the following season.

The Red Bull team have caught up since bringing their new underfloor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team principal Stella stated he believed Lando Norris had the pace to compete for the victory in Austin had he not ended up following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to continue maximising the car performance and continue delivering good weekends. And from this point of view, if you consider a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

"Therefore we have a large chance, and the outcome of this championship 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?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an completely accurate basis. It's true that both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult opening phases of the championship, in different ways, and that they are currently faring much better.

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

Hamilton has failed to outperform Charles Leclerc very often at all this year, either in qualifying sessions or Grand Prix.

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

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's favourite circuits, he was a second behind his teammate when the Monegasque made his pit stop, and dropped 13 seconds over the rest of the Grand Prix.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal race strategy. Regardless, over the championship, and even now, it's difficult to argue that on balance Charles Leclerc has not been the superior Ferrari driver this season.

Each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Hamilton would not say even now that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is hoping the regulation changes next year will suit him; he has never particularly liked these venturi cars.

There is a great deal for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not all struggle in this manner.

Alonso, for example, was performing well from the start of the 2023 season when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I believe most in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

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

Before the F1 cars run for the initial time in winter testing next year, nobody will understand how the constructors are performing in the upcoming season.

The first test, 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 prying eyes of the press.

So the pair of sessions in Bahrain on February 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time some kind of indication of relative performance emerges.

But, as always, it's only at the season opener that the true and accurate situation will emerge.