Will McLaren Keep Maintaining Fair Play and Stop Verstappen? - Formula 1 Questions and Answers

Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That to Win, You Can't Always Be Fair?

The McLaren team are fully conscious of the difficulty they face with Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this year, but they see no reason to alter their approach to managing the team.

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

"This represents the way we intend competing. 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 Stella is a veteran of numerous title battles. He won the title as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer recovered seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren imploded.

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

Andrea Stella commented following the race in Austin: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the lead on Max. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a team driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We rely on the experience. I can recall at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you reach the last race and it's actually the third-placed driver that claims the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics."

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

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

In F1, it's usually the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the beginning of a new rules cycle, it can take a considerable period 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.

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

They did continue to improve it for a period, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when looking at the value for money 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 introducing their updated underfloor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team principal Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the pace to challenge for the win in Austin had he not finished behind Leclerc.

"We must keep optimising the performance and keep delivering good weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a race like Baku City Circuit, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless performance."

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

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, it's uncertain the inquiry has an entirely correct premise. It's true that both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult opening phases of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring much better.

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

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

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently setting times within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Leclerc since the summer break.

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

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

Both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not say even currently that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is expecting the new rules next season will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these venturi cars.

There is a great deal for a racing driver to get their head around when they change constructors, as Hamilton has described repeatedly this year. But not all faces difficulties in this way.

Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would 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 Competitive Order?

Before the F1 cars run for the initial time in winter testing next year, no-one will understand how the teams are looking next year.

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

So the two tests in Sakhir on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time some kind of indication of relative performance becomes apparent.

But, as ever, it's only at the season opener that the complete and precise picture will emerge.