Will McLaren Keep Playing Fair and Halt Max Verstappen? - Formula 1 Q&A

Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That to Win, It's Not Always Possible to Be Fair?

McLaren are well aware of the challenge they confront with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this season, but they don't believe to alter their method to managing the team.

They will continue to give their two drivers the best chance they can and operate the team on a foundation of fairness and balance.

"This is the approach we intend racing. This is the philosophy in which we approach racing, and we aim to remain fair, and we intend to maintain equal treatment to both drivers."

Team principal Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous championship fights. He won the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in the 2007 season when the Ferrari racer made up seventeen points under the old scoring system in two races to win the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

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

Stella commented following the Grand Prix in Austin: "We look at the next five races as opportunities to extend the lead on Max. And when it comes to having to make a decision as to a driver, this will exclusively be led by mathematics."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Upgrades on The Current Car?

All teams this year have had to face the dilemma of how long to focus on their 2025 car while also ensuring they are as ready as they can be for the major rules overhaul coming for 2026.

In F1, it's typically the situation that if a constructor makes mistakes at the start of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to recover. And if they succeed, that advantage can last for a while - consider the Red Bull team in 2022 and 2023, the last time the rules were modified.

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

They did continue to improve it for a while, but were finding reduced benefits. So when looking at the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 season car compared to 2026, it became an straightforward decision to switch focus to the following season.

Red Bull have closed the gap since bringing their new floor and front wing at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team boss Andrea Stella stated he thought Lando Norris had the pace to compete for the victory in Austin had he not finished following Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to keep maximising the performance and continue delivering good weekends. And from this perspective, if you consider a Grand Prix like Baku, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't execute a perfect race."

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

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, I'm not sure the inquiry has an completely accurate basis. It's correct that both Hamilton and Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the championship, in varying manners, and that they are currently faring significantly improved.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon currently look quite balanced. However, it's less certain that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "equal" of Charles Leclerc - or not regularly, anyway.

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

He is currently much closer than he was. He is regularly setting times within a small fraction of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's 4-2 to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This last weekend in Texas, on one of Hamilton's favourite tracks, he was a full second slower than his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the rest of the race.

Looking back, Charles Leclerc was on the best race strategy. Regardless, over the season, and even now, it's difficult to claim that on balance Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari driver this season.

Each of Hamilton and Sainz have discussed how difficult it is to change constructors, 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 expecting the new rules next year will suit him; he has never really enjoyed these venturi cars.

There is a great deal for a driver to understand and adapt to when they change constructors, as Hamilton has explained repeatedly this year. But not every driver faces difficulties in this way.

Alonso, for instance, was performing well from the beginning of the 2023 season when he transferred to the Aston Martin team. And would Max Verstappen face challenges if he switched teams? I believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

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

The first test, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is private because the constructors wanted to get their heads around their first running of the power unit changes without the prying eyes of the press.

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

But, as ever, it's only at the season opener that the true and accurate picture will become clear.