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

Do McLaren Accept Reality of F1 - That if You Want Win, You Can't Always Play Fair?

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

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

"This represents the manner we plan competing. This remains the method in which we approach racing, and we aim to remain fair, and we intend to apply equal treatment to our drivers."

Team principal Andrea Stella is a seasoned expert of numerous championship fights. He claimed the title as engineer to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 when the Ferrari racer recovered seventeen points under the previous points system in two Grands Prix to win the championship, while McLaren collapsed.

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

Andrea Stella commented following the Grand Prix in Texas: "We look at the next five races as chances to increase the lead on Max. And when it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be determined by mathematics."

"We lean on the past experience. I can remember at least the 2007 season, the 2010 season, in which you go to the final Grand Prix and it's in fact the [driver in] third [place] that claims the championship. So we're not going to make decisions unless this is closed by mathematics."

Why Did McLaren Stop Development on The Current Car?

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

In Formula 1, it's typically the case that if a team makes mistakes at the start of a new rules cycle, it can take a long time 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 last time the rules were modified.

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

They did continue to develop it for a period, but were experiencing reduced benefits. So when evaluating the value for money they were getting on their 2025 car compared to the 2026 car, it became an straightforward choice to redirect attention to next year.

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

"We just have to keep optimising the performance and keep executing good race weekends. And from this point of view, if you think of a race like Baku, we didn't maximise the performance and we didn't deliver a flawless race."

"So definitely we have a large chance, and the result of this season and the driver's title is in our control. It's not placed in someone else's hands."

Driver Transfers: How Challenging Is It to Change Constructors?

Initially, it's uncertain the question has an completely accurate basis. It's correct that each of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had slightly difficult opening phases of the season, in varying manners, and that they are currently performing much better.

Sainz and Albon do now look very even. However, it's not so clear that, in Hamilton's case, he is currently the "match" of Charles Leclerc - or not consistently, at least.

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

He is now significantly nearer than he was. He is consistently setting times within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc, but in qualifying battles it's four-two to Charles Leclerc since the mid-season break.

This last weekend in Texas, on one of Lewis Hamilton's preferred circuits, he was a full second behind his teammate when the Monaco driver completed his pit stop, and lost 13 seconds over the remaining portion of the Grand Prix.

In hindsight, Leclerc was on the best strategy. Regardless, over the season, and even now, it's hard to claim that on balance Leclerc has hasn't been the superior Ferrari driver this year.

Each of Hamilton and Sainz have talked about how difficult it is to change constructors, and we have to take them at their word.

Hamilton would not say even currently that he was fully adapted to Ferrari - and he is hoping 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 switch teams, as Lewis Hamilton has explained repeatedly this season. But not all faces difficulties in this manner.

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 believe most in Formula 1 would expect not.

When Will We Know Next Year's Competitive Order?

Until the cars are driven for the initial time in winter testing next season, no-one will understand how the teams are looking next year.

The initial session, in Catalunya on January 26-30, is behind closed doors because the constructors wanted to understand their first running of the new engines without the prying eyes of the press.

So the pair of sessions in Sakhir on February 11-13 and February 18-20 will be the initial occasion a certain indication of relative performance becomes apparent.

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