Can the McLaren team Continue Playing Fair and Halt Max Verstappen? - Formula 1 Questions and Answers

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

The McLaren team are well aware of the obstacle they encounter with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team in the championship battle this year, but they don't believe to change their method to managing the team.

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

"This is the approach we plan racing. This remains the way in which we tackle racing, and we want to stay equitable, and we want to apply equal treatment to our drivers."

Team principal Stella is a seasoned expert of many title battles. He claimed the title as race engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari driver recovered 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 the 2010 season, when Ferrari made errors in their strategy at the last Grand Prix of the championship and allowed Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to snatch the title from their grasp.

Stella stated following the Grand Prix in Austin: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as opportunities to extend the gap on Max. And when it involves having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be determined by the numbers."

"We rely on the experience. I can recall at least 2007, 2010, in which you go to 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 mathematics."

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

All teams 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 team makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they get it right, that advantage can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules changed.

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

They continued to develop it for a while, but were experiencing diminishing returns. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were achieving on their 2025 car versus 2026, it became an straightforward decision to redirect attention to next year.

Red Bull have caught up since introducing their new underfloor and front wing at the Monza Grand Prix, but the McLaren stays competitive - team boss Andrea Stella said he believed Norris had the pace to challenge for the win in Austin had he not ended up behind Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to keep optimising the performance and continue delivering strong 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 chance, 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 Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

First of all, it's uncertain the inquiry has an completely correct basis. It's correct that each of Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat sticky first halves of the season, in varying manners, and that they are now faring much better.

Carlos 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 Leclerc - or not regularly, at least.

Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc very often at all this year, either in qualifying or Grand Prix.

He is now much closer than he was. He is regularly qualifying within a few hundredths of a second of his teammate, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the summer break.

This last weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his tire change, and dropped thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

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

Both Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how challenging it is to switch teams, and we have to take them at their word.

Lewis Hamilton would not claim even currently 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 really enjoyed these ground-effect vehicles.

There is a lot for a racing driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Lewis Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not all faces difficulties in this way.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the start of the 2023 when he moved to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he switched teams? I suspect the majority in F1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

Until the F1 cars are driven for the initial time in pre-season testing next season, nobody will know how the constructors are looking in the upcoming season.

The first test, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is private because the constructors preferred to understand their first running of the new engines without the scrutiny of the media.

So the two tests in Sakhir on February 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the first time some kind of indication of comparative speed emerges.

But, as always, it's not until the first race that the true and accurate picture will become clear.