![]() The MP4-13 took 12 of the first 13 poles of the season and ultimately ended the team's seven-year wait for a title, Hakkinen adding the drivers' laurels to the constructors' success.Īlain Prost, McLaren MP4-4 Honda, Ayrton Senna, McLaren MP4-4 Honda, Gerhard Berger, Ferrari F1/87-88CĪ fan favourite and possibly the most famous of all McLarens, the MP4/4 won 15 from 16 races in 1988, with Senna and Prost fighting an epic title battle well clear of the rest. Despite the FIA giving McLaren the all-clear during winter testing for the asymmetric braking system, following campaigning from Ferrari, the braking system was deemed illegal, and the brakes were removed from the car.ĭespite that, McLaren remained the dominant force in the first year of the narrow-car, grooved-tyres regulations. The MP4-13 was the first McLaren designed by Newey and, after lapping the opposition in the first race of the season, it was met with increased scrutiny. McLaren took the constructors' title with 156 points to Ferrari's 133, while the rest of the field only managed 127 points between them. In 1998, McLaren and Ferrari were truly in a class of their own. The model's final tally was 16 wins and 27 poles from 32 outings, along with four championship successes, scored at a time when McLaren's opposition was getting stronger. The revised MP4/5B faced tougher opposition from Ferrari (now with Prost in red) but its powerful Honda V10 engine, not to mention another controversial Senna-Prost crash at Suzuka, helped McLaren to another title double. Engine and transmission issues - and some incidents - limited the MP4/5 to 'only' 10 wins from 16 races as McLaren stormed to another title double. In raw pace terms, it was almost as far ahead of rivals as its fabled predecessor, the MP4/4, but it wasn't as reliable. And that tends to overshadow the fact that the MP4/5 was another great McLaren. McLaren's 1989 season is best remembered for the increasingly toxic relationship between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, their Suzuka clash and the subsequent controversy. But McLaren lost out by nine points after Alonso blitzed the Chinese Grand Prix finale, while Montoya retired after striking an errant drain cover. The constructors' fight was even closer, Juan Pablo Montoya being stronger than Renault number two Giancarlo Fisichella. A combination of McLaren unreliability and a brilliant campaign from Alonso meant that the Spaniard beat Kimi Raikkonen to the drivers' title. Adrian Newey's MP4-20 was usually the fastest car of the season, particularly once the team had got on top of it after the early races.īut McLaren was always playing catch-up to Fernando Alonso and Renault. The switch to no-tyre stop rules and revised aero regulations for 2005 caught out the era's dominant force, Ferrari. In the end it has to go to the earlier car, partly because it had a bigger pace advantage over the opposition, partly because it got closer to winning a title, and also because its failure didn't lead to the team losing Lewis Hamilton. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) © 2022 Formula One World Championship LimitedīARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 24: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) McLaren MC元6 Mercedes during Day Two of F1 Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Februin Barcelona, Spain.The fight for 10th spot was between two fast-but-flawed McLarens: the 2005 MP4-20 and the MP4-27 of 2012. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) © 2022 Formula One World Championship LimitedīARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren talks in the Drivers Press Conference during Day One of F1 Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Februin Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) © 2022 Formula One World Championship LimitedīAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 10: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MC元6 Mercedes on track during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on Main Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) © 2022 Formula One World Championship LimitedīAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 11: McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown looks on in the garage during Day Two of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on Main Bahrain, Bahrain. ![]() (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) © 2022 Getty ImagesīAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 11: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MC元6 Mercedes during Day Two of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on Main Bahrain, Bahrain. BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 12: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren talks with McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl in the Pitlane during Day Three of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on Main Bahrain, Bahrain.
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