Can McLaren Keep Playing Fair and Stop Verstappen? - F1 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 face with Verstappen and Red Bull in the championship battle this season, but they don't believe to modify their strategy to managing the team.

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

"This is the manner we intend racing. This remains the method in which we tackle competition, and we aim to stay fair, and we want to apply equality to both drivers."

Team principal Stella is a veteran of many championship fights. He won the championship as race engineer to Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer made up 17 points under the old scoring system in two Grands Prix to secure the championship, while the McLaren team collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella said after the race in Austin: "We look at the remaining five Grands Prix as chances to extend the lead on Max. And when it involves having to make a call as to a team driver, this will exclusively be determined by mathematics."

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

What Prompted McLaren to Cease Development on This Year's Car?

All teams this year have had to confront the conundrum of how long to concentrate on their 2025 season car while also making sure they are as ready as they can be for the significant rules overhaul coming for 2026.

In Formula 1, it's typically the case that if a constructor makes mistakes at the beginning of a new regulation period, it can take a considerable period to catch up. And if they succeed, that benefit can last for a while - look at Red Bull in 2022 and 2023, the most recent occasion the rules were modified.

The McLaren team started this season with the best car, after putting a lot of technical development into their 2025 design.

They did continue to develop it for a while, but were finding reduced benefits. So when evaluating the bang for buck they were getting on their 2025 car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward decision to switch focus to next year.

The Red Bull team have closed the gap since introducing their updated floor and nose section at the Italian Grand Prix, but the McLaren car remains competitive - team boss Stella said he believed Lando Norris had the pace to compete for the win in Austin had he not ended up behind Charles Leclerc.

"We just have to keep optimising the performance and continue delivering good race weekends. And from this perspective, if you think of a Grand Prix like Baku City Circuit, we failed to optimize the performance and we didn't execute a flawless race."

"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 placed in someone else's hands."

Team Changes: How Difficult Is It to Switch Teams?

Initially, I'm not sure the question has an entirely accurate basis. It's true that both Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had somewhat difficult first halves of the season, in different ways, and that they are now performing significantly improved.

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

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

He is currently much closer than he previously. He is consistently qualifying within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying it's 4-2 to Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This previous weekend in Austin, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred tracks, he was a second slower than Leclerc when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and lost thirteen seconds over the remaining portion of the race.

In hindsight, Charles Leclerc was on the best strategy. Nevertheless, over the championship, and even now, it's difficult to claim that on average Charles Leclerc has hasn't been the better Ferrari driver this year.

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

Lewis Hamilton would not say even currently that he was completely adjusted to the Ferrari car - 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 driver to understand and adapt to when they switch teams, as Hamilton has described repeatedly this season. But not every driver faces difficulties in this manner.

Fernando Alonso, for example, was on it from the beginning of the 2023 season when he transferred to Aston Martin. And would Max Verstappen struggle if he changed constructors? I suspect most in Formula 1 would anticipate he wouldn't.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

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

The first test, in Barcelona on 26-30 January, is behind closed doors because the teams wanted to understand their first running of the new engines without the scrutiny of the press.

So the pair of sessions in Bahrain on 11-13 and 18-20 February will be the first time some kind of sense of comparative speed becomes apparent.

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