F1 fans are so quick to attribute performance to 1 or 2 major figures. What happens if MCL fails to have a winning car in 26, is Marshall not the best then? What happens if Mercedes has the fastest car in 26, somehow all the talent drain has been negated and Allison is the new GOAT? What if Ferrari is dominant in 26, are Newey, Marshall all frauds? What if RBR makes the best car again, were Marshall and Newey not so important and all the credit went to Wache and Balbo?
The narratives people draw up from very little insight into how these teams work and how much innovation is contributed to the car from junior to seniors is all a mystery, but hey let's keep deifying 1-2 engineers and pretend like MCL weren't already well on track to produce the fastest car even before Marshall had any impact.
On a side note, race week again and even after a month's break and probably countless simulator runs for Zandvoort, wouldn't be surprised to see the RB21 struggle again in FP1.