The 21st round of the Formula 1 World Championship has concluded in Brazil, meaning that only three races remain before the end of the season. After an intense series of Grands Prix, the championship will now take a one-week break before entering its final triple-header — Las Vegas, Qatar (where the last Sprint race of the year will take place), and the grand finale in Abu Dhabi.
For McLaren, the Brazilian weekend was nothing short of extraordinary. With Lando Norris claiming victory both in the Sprint and in the main Grand Prix, the team in papaya orange can now approach the final stretch of the season with a small yet valuable advantage to manage. Norris knows that if he scores nine more points than Max Verstappen in Las Vegas, he would mathematically eliminate the Dutch driver from the fight for the world title, leaving the battle solely between himself and teammate Oscar Piastri.
It all sounds like a dream scenario for McLaren — but the situation is far from simple. Max Verstappen, despite leaving Interlagos without a win, has played a strategic masterstroke. By replacing his power unit in Brazil, the Red Bull driver has given himself a considerable edge for the final three rounds of the season. McLaren, on the other hand, could face an uphill struggle due to the significant performance gap between their older engines and the new one fitted to Verstappen’s RB21.
The power units in both Lando Norris’s and Oscar Piastri’s cars have already covered a high mileage compared to Red Bull’s fresh installation. To find the last time McLaren introduced new engines, we have to go back to the British and Belgian Grands Prix — two consecutive rounds in which the team fitted their third and fourth power units of the season.
Power unit strategy could define the end of the championship
Silverstone marked the halfway point of the championship, and the fact that McLaren reached that stage having used only two power units indicated careful planning. The idea was to complete the season by alternating between the third and fourth engines introduced in Britain and Belgium. However, Max Verstappen’s recent change in Brazil may completely alter the balance in this endgame.
In theory, even if Max Verstappen were to win all the remaining races — including the final Sprint — Lando Norris could still clinch the title by consistently finishing fifth or higher. That would require him to collect at least 34 more points, assuming Verstappen sweeps the entire triple-header. Yet, in Formula 1, nothing is guaranteed, especially when reliability and strategy become decisive factors.
If McLaren were to take pride in its current form and attempt to finish the season without any further power unit changes, the team would be taking a considerable risk. Avoiding engine penalties might look good on paper, but it also means running the danger of a failure mid-race — an outcome that could completely swing the title fight back in Max Verstappen’s favor. Should such a breakdown occur, McLaren would also face a painful grid penalty at the following event.
For that reason, it might be strategically wiser for McLaren to introduce a new engine in Las Vegas, where fresh power could make a major difference along the long straights of the American street circuit. Admittedly, such a move would likely hand Verstappen the advantage in that particular round, but it would set up a fairer, head-to-head fight in the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
One thing is certain: Formula 1 never fails to surprise. As the championship enters its decisive weeks, this season is shaping up to end like a chess match — every move, every strategic decision could prove decisive. And while McLaren may be within touching distance of their dream, Max Verstappen is far from defeated.
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