F1 Racing: Hail! Hail! McLaren

McLaren M7A (1968)

Remembered by Tyler Alexander

Age: 65
First joined McLaren: September 1963
Job title in 1963: Director/chief mechanic
Job title now: Embedded systems consultant

"There was a buzz in the team over the winter of 1967. We'd moved into our new factory in Colnbrook; we'd won the Can-Am series with the McLaren M6As and now we were running Cosworth DFVs in F1 with a major, two-car team - Bruce and the new world champion, Denny Hulme. The comedian, Bill Dana, had mimicked the NASA exhortation, 'Okay, Jose, you're on the way!' and I remember that sort of becoming the catchphrase of our winter.

"The M7A was basically designed by Robin Herd. He did a very good job, but I think Bruce was a bit unsettled when Robin left early in 1968 to work for Cosworth. The result was that Bruce himself played quite a large part in the later design stages of the M7. He did a lot on the suspension geometry and there were lots of other 'Bruce touches'.

"The decision to run Lockheed brakes, for example, was very Bruce. Everyone at that time was having problems with ventilated discs, but Bruce found the solution. Peter Jackson of Specialised Mouldings and Bruce's good friend, Michael Turner, the motor racing artist, also had much to do with the details.

"Peter, in addition to his aero skills, came up with that shade of orange. I don't remember who suggested that we should switch from red and silver. It may have been Bruce and me: I was living with him at the time and we talked through an awful lot of stuff.

"Bruce loved testing; I remember us doing a lot of running with the M7A at Brands in early 1968. Bruce won the Race of Champions [our first F1 victory], then Denny made it two-in-a-row at Silverstone, in the Daily Express Trophy. Next Bruce won the Belgian GP at Spa, becoming one of only three drivers ever to win in a car of his own construction.

"I guess you could say that the M7A/B/C put McLaren on the F1 map. Denny won the 1968 Italian and Canadian Grands Prix, giving us second in the championship, then he dominated Mexico in 1969. Not many people remember it, but I always think it's kind of nice that Bruce book-ended the '60s: he won the first GP of 1960 for Cooper and then his car won the last race of 1969.

"The M7 was a neat little car - simple, functional and elegant. It wasn't what I'd call 'beautiful'; Colin Chapman made beautiful race cars. It was classic Bruce, though - and that says everything about the man.

"I've got a lovely photograph of Bruce winning at Brands in 1968. I don't know who took it - I wish I did! - but it says everything, really. In fading light, Bruce is crossing the line and acknowledging the chequer with his arm raised. It was a huge moment."

Car first raced: Spanish GP (May 12 1968)
Car last raced: Mexican GP (October 19 1969)
Starts: 37 (Includes non-works entries)
Wins: 4
Pole positions: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Drivers' championship

1968
Third: Denny Hulme (33pts),
fifth: Bruce McLaren (22pts),
21st: Dan Gurney (3pts)

1969
Third: Bruce McLaren (26pts),
sixth: Denny Hulme (20pts),
13th: Vic Elford* (3pts),

Constructors' championship

1968
Second: (49pts),

1969
Fourth: (38pts)

McLaren M23 (1976)

Remembered by Ray Grant

Age: 57
First joined McLaren: January 1976
Job title in 1976: Number-two mechanic (on James Hunt's car)
Job title now: Production manager (roving brief)

"After I arrived at Colnbrook, where McLaren were based in 1976, my first race was South Africa, the second GP of the year. The M23 was already a successful car, having won the championship in 1974 in the hands on Emerson Fittipaldi, and as soon as I got to Kyalami I formed the impression that it was not only quick but also well-constructed - easy to work on, a no-nonsense car.

"Even so, we didn't score enough points in the first half of the season, and Niki [Lauda, Ferrari's reigning world champion] soon built up a big lead. So when we got to the British Grand Prix, at Brands hatch in July, we knew we had to start winning.

"Niki got the pole, with James just 0.060sec behind in P2. Niki got away well, but Clay Regazzoni, who had qualified fourth in the other Ferrari, got the jump on James. As the cars went into Paddock Hill, Regga touched Niki, and James couldn't avoid them. The M23 went up in the air, but came down on all four wheels.

"The race was stopped and James limped back to the pits for the restart - and took a short cut to get there. Apparently that was against some rule or other, and, while we were fixing, it was announced that he'd been excluded.

"Well, you should have heard the booing and slow hand-clapping. It ain't over till it's over, so we carried on working, just in case. And when he retook his place on the grid, there was this gigantic roar from the Brands crowd - it sent shivers down our spines and made us think all the all-nighters had been worthwhile.

"And then, of course, having shadowed Niki for 40-odd laps, James pulled off a great pass into Druids - and won the race. Well, the crowd went mad all over again. But two months later the FIA Court of Appeal upheld Ferrari's protest, and James lost the race.

"By that time, of course, Niki had had his Nurburgring accident, had missed two races, and had come back to score points at Monza. After that James won brilliantly at Mosport Park and Watkins Glen, but even so we had it all to do. And so we went to Fuji, and James was three points behind Niki, and on race day it rained like you just can't believe.

"James led the first 61 laps, but had big tyre problems. Even so, he was second with just five laps to go, when he got two punctures: the left front and left rear. But he managed to get back to the pits, and we worked furiously to change his tyres, not something you did as a matter of course in those days. I was on the left rear, and Dave Ryan, who is McLaren's race team manager today, was on the left front.

"Well, we got it done - I have to say I got my wheel done first and ran over to help Dave - and James came out fifth. Not good enough: he needed to be fourth to draw level with Niki in the points table, and third to draw ahead. But James was magic - the Battle of Britain spirit - and fantastically quick on his day. And that was his day. He overtook Alan Jones for fourth and then Regga. He was third.

"But with all the pit stops, our lap charts were in disarray and we weren't sure. James certainly wasn't - he thought he was fifth. As he climbed out of the car, he went berserk - screaming abuse. 'You bastards!' he shouted. But then Frank Williams ran up and said, 'James came third! You've done it!' And he had - and so had we."

Car first raced: Spanish GP (April 29 1973)
Car last raced: Italian GP (September 10 1978)
Starts: 175 (Includes non-works entries)
Wins: 16
Pole positions: 14
Fastest laps: 10

Drivers' championship

1973
Fifth: Peter Revson, (38pts),
sixth: Denny Hulme (26pts),
ninth: Jacky Ickx (12pts)

1974
First: Emerson Fittipaldi (55pts)
seventh: Denny Hulme (20pts),
eleventh: Mike Hailwood (12pts)

1975
Second: Emerson Fittipaldi (45pts),
eighth: Jochen Mass (20pts),

1976
First: James Hunt (69pts),
ninth: Jochen Mass (19pts)

1977
Fifth: James Hunt (40pts),
sixth: Jochen Mass (25pts),

Constructors' championship

1973: Third (58pts),
1974: First (73pts),
1975: Third (53pts),
1976: Second (74pts),
1977: Third (60pts)

McLaren MP4/4 (1988)

Remembered by Neil Trundle

Age: 61
First joined McLaren: January 1980 (rejoined 1985)
Job title in 1988: Chief mechanic
Job title now: Gearbox department manager

"We ran the MP4/4 for the very first time at a pre-season test at Imola, just a few weeks before the season-opener in Rio. After just a handful of laps, Alain [Prost] went faster than everybody and then came back into the pits and walked over to Ron Dennis. He said he knew instantly that this car would win the world championship. Once we'd proved our pace in the opening races, we started to say quietly that we felt we could even win all the races. It was a special time for everybody.

"Obviously, everybody remembers the few blips we had during the season. At Monaco, Ayrton [Senna] crashed into the barriers almost within sight of the flag. But we strongly suspect he had a slow puncture in one of the rear tyres. The car was starting to squirm around, but he stuck with it rather than pitting to change the tyre. That accident changed him - it made him an even deeper and more committed driver.

"At Monza, we lost the race in the closing laps - for such a stupid reason. We'd changed our spark-plug grade and the middle of the plug on Alain's car burnt out and left him running on five cylinders until he retired. Fearing a similar problem with Ayrton's car, we enriched the mixture. He was running low on fuel and had to take a few more risks than normal - that's when he collided with Jean-Louis Schlesser. Our winning run was over and we were all heartbroken.

"That was Ayrton's first year with us. Both drivers very evenly matched, but as soon as Ayrton got into the car, Alain knew he was up for a fight. I think Ayrton got a bit more out of the Honda engine but also learnt a lot from Alain. He had a very harsh gearchange technique, for example, but quickly adopted Alain's super-smooth style.

"It was always encouraging to know you had the two best drivers in the world driving your cars. It made life interesting for us mechanics; it raised the stakes. There was a friendly rivalry between the two crews, but we were always ready to help each other out when we found ourselves working late nights at the circuit. It was a time of great camaraderie.

"I don't think the MP4/4 was McLaren's best-ever car. It was ultimately just a very effective development of the carbonfibre car we'd introduced in 1981. But all the details were perfect - the car was light, had good downforce, very efficient brakes, suspension and fuel and a fabulous engine - and, of course, two of the world's best drivers.

"After all these years, it still looks striking. There's a line-up of all our old cars in the lobby at the factory - and it's still the lowest and sleekest-looking car on display. It really was the perfect package."

Car first raced: Brazilian GP (April 3 1988)
Car last raced: Australian GP (November 13 1988)
Starts: 32
Wins: 15
Pole positions: 15
Fastest laps: 10

1988 drivers' championship

First: Ayrton Senna (90pts),
second: Alain Prost (87pts)

1988 constructors' championship

First (199pts; Includes drivers' dropped scores)

McLaren MP4-13 (1998)

Remembered by Neil Oatley

Age: 52
First joined McLaren: November 1986
Job title in 1986: Project leader, normally aspirated engine
Job title now: Design and development director

"We didn't really expect to be so competitive. When we first ran the MP4-13, it was at a test on our own. We then went to Barcelona and literally the first run we did was quicker than anyone else had managed all week, so that gave us an inkling that we had a reasonably competitive car.

"When you know you've got a good car, that feeling filters through your team. It also causes a big depression in the other teams - it deflates their ambitions when they realise they've got an enormous amount of work to do to make up the pace.

"But, as with many sports, you get more nervous leading than if you're challenging for the lead. It did pray on our nerves a bit because we had the speed from day one - so the championship was ours unless we threw it away.

"From a novelty point of view the MP4-13 was probably fairly uninteresting - maybe that was why it was so good. It was the first car Adrian [Newey] had direct input to, and some of his aerodynamic ideas were different from what we'd been doing before.

"The design process of the MP4-13 was relatively late in starting - it was a fairly hurried car in that respect - but he had a strong influence on the monocoque shape and aerodynamic layout, which drives the whole programme.

"On the whole it was a very neat, tidy package; quite small and compact. We didn't go out on a limb trying anything particularly novel, so everything worked well right from the beginning.

"At Melbourne, we seemed to be head and shoulders above everyone else. Both cars ran like clockwork as well as being very quick. Despite everything, Mika [Hakkinen] made some fairly public mistakes that year and we had some failures while leading races, so that took the title down to the wire in Japan.

"When the championship goes down to the wire and is dependent on one race, it doesn't do your nervous system any good. But Mika drove an exceptional race at Suzuka. He was very quick all weekend, didn't make a single mistake, and the car was strong.

"The success of the MP4-13 allowed us to push the design of the MP4-14 more than we would have been comfortable with the previous year. To get a bigger aero advantage you 'squeeze' the packaging, which gives you more freedom to play with the aero profile of the car.

"We had more time with the next car and could afford to be a little more adventurous in some of its mechanical aspects. That obviously worked out, too, even though that championship went down to the wire as well!"

Car first raced: Australian GP (March 8 1998)
Car last raced: Japanese GP (November 1 1998)
Starts: 32
Wins: 9
Pole positions: 12
Fastest laps: 9

1998 drivers' championship

First: Mika Hakkinen (100pts),
third: David Coulthard (56pts)

1998 constructors' championship

First (156pts)

McLaren MP4-20 (2005)

Remembered by Mike Coughlan

Age: 47
First joined McLaren: September 2003
Job title in 2003: Chief designer
Job title now: Chief designer

"The MP4-20 took a lot of its basic car from the unloved 18A, which never raced. There wouldn't have been anything like the 20 or 21 family without the 18A. Except for this year's car, they were all the forerunners of the 20.

"We stuck to our guns because we had faith in it. I knew we had been just too aggressive with the 18A, but that didn't make it a bad car. It made the choices wrong but it didn't make the philosophy wrong.

"The 18A was too light, too flexible, some of the design parameters were too aggressive and we didn't really understand how to trade stiffness against performance against strength. But we understood from the 18A where we'd pushed too far, so were able to step back from that and make the 19B and 20.

"The trouble with evolution is that you ultimately become conservative. The real trick to F1 car design is to be aggressive enough during the evolution. The danger if you don't, is that you then have to sort it with a big step.

"It says something about McLaren that we persevered with this design philosophy. When I talk to friends in other teams, some of the views are: 'You got that to work but we had to give up on it.'

"The MP4-20 had great LFD - lift-to-drag ratio. Aerodynamically, it was awesome, absolutely awesome. We'd learnt about the ideal compromise between stiffness and weight, we had car performance targets that we met or were close to meeting, so we understood the trade we were making.

"We were able to make choices based on engineering judgement. We brought something to the car at every single race that made it quicker, without fail. Sure, we had a few difficulties but I think the 'fast but fragile' tag given to the MP4-20 was unwarranted.

"Imola was probably our defining race: Kimi, on a lot of fuel, stuck it on pole. We had an engine upgrade and suspension developments at that race which unlocked the car's performance but, ultimately, we understood the tyres better.

"We knew then that we had a fast car, and it delivered. Barcelona, the next grand prix, was the stamp - it was probably our most dominant race. Monaco was a great race, too. We had a lot of fuel on and knew we couldn't be overtaken. Then, obviously, all hell broke loose but Kimi did a great job.

"I wouldn't say it's the finest car I've been involved with - that's the next one, always, with me. I'm not a great race-car fan, I'm an engineer. I'm looking forward, never back."

Car first raced: Australian GP (March 6 2005)
Car last raced: Chinese GP (October 16 2005)
Starts: 38
Wins: 10
Pole positions: 7
Fastest laps: 12

2005 drivers' championship

Second: Kimi Raikkonen (112pts),
fourth: Juan Pablo Montoya (60pts),
seventeenth: Alex Wurz (6pts),
twentieth: Pedro de la Rosa (4pts)

2005 constructors' championship

Second: (182pts)

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