Will the McLaren team Continue Playing Fair and Stop Max Verstappen? - Formula 1 Questions and Answers

Do McLaren Face the Truth of F1 - That to Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

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

They will persist to give their two drivers the optimal opportunity they can and operate the team on a foundation of fairness and balance.

"This represents the manner we intend racing. This remains the way in which we approach competition, and we want to remain equitable, and we want to apply equality to both drivers."

Team principal Stella is a veteran of many championship fights. He claimed the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari driver recovered 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren collapsed.

And he missed out on the title as engineer to Fernando Alonso in 2010, when Ferrari made errors in their strategy at the last Grand Prix of the season and enabled Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to snatch the title from under their noses.

Stella said following the race in Austin: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to extend the lead on Verstappen. And when it involves having to make a decision as to a team driver, this will only be led by mathematics."

"We rely on the past experience. I can remember at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you reach the final Grand Prix and it's actually the third-placed driver that wins the championship. So we're not going to close the door unless this is determined by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Cease Upgrades on This Year's Car?

Every team this year have had to face the dilemma of how long to concentrate on their 2025 season car while also ensuring they are as ready as they can be for the major regulation change scheduled for 2026.

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

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

They continued to improve it for a while, but were finding reduced benefits. So when evaluating the value for money they were achieving on their 2025 car versus 2026, it became an straightforward decision to switch focus to next year.

Red Bull have caught up since introducing their new underfloor and nose section at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren remains competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he thought Norris had the speed to challenge for the win in Texas had he not finished behind Charles Leclerc.

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

"Therefore we have a significant opportunity, and the result of this season and the drivers' championship is in our hands. It's not placed in someone else's hands."

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, I'm not sure the question has an entirely correct premise. It's true that each of Lewis Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat difficult opening phases of the season, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

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

Hamilton has not beaten Charles Leclerc frequently at all this season, either in qualifying sessions or race.

He is now significantly nearer than he previously. He is consistently qualifying within a few hundredths 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 preferred circuits, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his tire change, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

Looking back, Leclerc was on the optimal strategy. Nevertheless, over the championship, and even currently, it's difficult to argue that on average Charles Leclerc has not been the better Ferrari racer this year.

Both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz have talked about how challenging it is to change constructors, and we have to accept their statements.

Hamilton would not say even now that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - and he is hoping the regulation changes next year will benefit his driving style; he has never particularly liked these ground-effect vehicles.

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

Fernando Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the start of the 2023 when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Verstappen face challenges if he changed constructors? I suspect most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know The Coming Season's Team Performance?

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

The initial session, in Catalunya on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the teams wanted to understand their initial track time of the new engines without the prying eyes of the media.

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

But, as ever, it's not until the season opener that the true and accurate situation will emerge.