If they're saying it's not 'winner takes all' it's cover to shield them from the fact that they aren't (or may not always be) in the top spot. They would not be

If they're saying it's not 'winner takes all' it's cover to shield them from the fact that they aren't (or may not always be) in the top spot. They would not be saying that if they were undeniably the best - they'd say the opposite.