Will McLaren Keep Playing Fair and Halt Verstappen? - F1 Questions and Answers

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

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

They will persist to give both drivers the optimal opportunity they can and operate the team on a basis of equity and equanimity.

"This represents the approach we intend racing. This remains the method in which we tackle racing, and we want to remain fair, and we intend to maintain equality to both drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous title battles. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver made up 17 points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to secure the title, while McLaren collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella commented following the race in Austin: "We view the next five races as opportunities to extend the gap on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

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

Why Did McLaren Stop Development on This Year's Car?

All teams this year have had to face the dilemma of how long to concentrate on their 2025 car while also ensuring they are as ready as they can be for the major 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 long time to catch up. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the regulations were modified.

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

They did continue to improve it for a while, but were finding diminishing returns. So when evaluating the value for money they were achieving on their 2025 season car versus 2026, it became an easy decision to switch focus to the following season.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since bringing their updated floor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team principal Andrea Stella said he thought Lando Norris had the pace to compete for the victory in Texas had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

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

"So definitely we have a large 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."

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an completely accurate premise. It's true that each of Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the championship, in different ways, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

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

Lewis Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc frequently at all this season, 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 Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This last weekend in Austin, on one of Hamilton's preferred circuits, he was a second slower than Leclerc when the Monaco driver made his pit stop, and lost 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Nevertheless, over the season, and even now, it's hard to argue that on balance Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari racer this season.

Each of Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to switch teams, and we have to accept their statements.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even currently that he was completely adjusted to Ferrari - and he is expecting the regulation changes next season will suit him; he has never particularly liked these venturi cars.

There is a lot for a racing driver to get their head around when they change constructors, as Hamilton has described repeatedly this year. But not every driver struggle in this way.

Alonso, for example, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he transferred 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.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

Before the cars are driven for the first time in pre-season testing next year, nobody will understand how the teams are performing next year.

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

So the two tests in Sakhir on February 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time 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.