McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey,United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am). The team is the second oldest active team (after Ferrari) and one of the most successful teams in Formula One, having won 170 races, 12 drivers' championships and 8 constructors' championships.
Founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren, the team won its first Grand Prix at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix but their greatest initial success was in Can-Am, where they dominated from 1967 to 1971. Further American triumph followed, with Indianapolis 500 wins in McLaren cars for Mark Donohue in 1972 and Johnny Rutherford in 1974 and 1976. After Bruce McLaren died in a testing accident in 1970, Teddy Mayer took over and led the team to their first Formula One constructors' championship in 1974, with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt winning the drivers' championship in 1974 and 1976 respectively. 1974 also marked the start of a long standing sponsorship by Phillip Morris' Marlboro cigarette brand.
In 1981 McLaren merged with Ron Dennis' Project Four Racing; Dennis took over as team principal and shortly after organised a buyout of the original McLaren shareholders to take full control of the team. This began the team's most successful era: with Porsche and Honda engines, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna took between them seven drivers' championships and McLaren six constructors' championships. The combination of Prost and Senna was particularly dominant—together they won all but one race in 1988—but later their rivalry soured and Prost left for Ferrari. Fellow English team Williams offered the most consistent challenge during this period, the two winning every constructors' title between 1984 and 1994. However, by the mid-1990s Honda had withdrawn from Formula One, Senna had moved to Williams and the team went three seasons without a win. With Mercedes-Benz engines, West sponsorship and former Williams designer Adrian Newey, further championships came in 1998 and 1999 with driver Mika Häkkinen and during the 2000s the team were consistent front-runners, driver Lewis Hamilton taking their latest title in 2008. In 2009 Dennis retired as team principal of McLaren handing the former role to longtime McLaren employee Martin Whitmarsh.
Founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren, the team won its first Grand Prix at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix but their greatest initial success was in Can-Am, where they dominated from 1967 to 1971. Further American triumph followed, with Indianapolis 500 wins in McLaren cars for Mark Donohue in 1972 and Johnny Rutherford in 1974 and 1976. After Bruce McLaren died in a testing accident in 1970, Teddy Mayer took over and led the team to their first Formula One constructors' championship in 1974, with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt winning the drivers' championship in 1974 and 1976 respectively. 1974 also marked the start of a long standing sponsorship by Phillip Morris' Marlboro cigarette brand.
In 1981 McLaren merged with Ron Dennis' Project Four Racing; Dennis took over as team principal and shortly after organised a buyout of the original McLaren shareholders to take full control of the team. This began the team's most successful era: with Porsche and Honda engines, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna took between them seven drivers' championships and McLaren six constructors' championships. The combination of Prost and Senna was particularly dominant—together they won all but one race in 1988—but later their rivalry soured and Prost left for Ferrari. Fellow English team Williams offered the most consistent challenge during this period, the two winning every constructors' title between 1984 and 1994. However, by the mid-1990s Honda had withdrawn from Formula One, Senna had moved to Williams and the team went three seasons without a win. With Mercedes-Benz engines, West sponsorship and former Williams designer Adrian Newey, further championships came in 1998 and 1999 with driver Mika Häkkinen and during the 2000s the team were consistent front-runners, driver Lewis Hamilton taking their latest title in 2008. In 2009 Dennis retired as team principal of McLaren handing the former role to longtime McLaren employee Martin Whitmarsh.
Origins
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren. Bruce was a works driver for the British Formula Oneteam Cooper with whom he had won three Grands Prix and come second in the 1960 world championship. Wanting to compete in theAustralasian Tasman Series, Bruce approached his employers, but when team owner Charles Cooper insisted on using 1.5 litre Formula One-specification engines instead of the 2.5 litre motors permitted by the Tasman rules, Bruce decided to set up his own team to run him and his prospective Formula One team-mate Timmy Mayer with custom-built Cooper cars. Bruce won the 1964 series, but Mayer was killed in practice for the final race, prompting his brother and manager Teddy Mayer to become involved with the running of the team. In 1964 and 1965 McLaren were based in New Malden, then Feltham before settling on premises in Colnbrook. During this period Bruce drove for his team in sports car races in the United Kingdom and North America and also entered the 1965 Tasman Series with Phil Hill but didn't win it. He continued to drive in Grands Prix for Cooper but judging that team's form to be waning, decided to race his own cars in 1966.
80's
The 1980s started much as the 1970s had ended: Alain Prost took over from Tambay but he and Watson rarely scored points. Under increasing pressure since the previous year from principal sponsor Philip Morris and their executive John Hogan, Mayer was coerced into merging McLaren with Ron Dennis's Project Four Formula Two team, also sponsored by Philip Morris. Dennis had designer John Barnard who, inspired by the carbon-fibre rear wings of the BMW M1 race cars that Project Four was preparing, had ideas for an innovative Formula One chassis constructed from carbon-fibre instead of conventional aluminium alloy. On their own they lacked the money to build it, but with investment that came with the merger it became the McLaren MP4 (later called MP4/1) of 1981, driven by Watson and Andrea de Cesaris. In the MP4, Watson won the British Grand Prix and had three other podium finishes. Soon after the merger McLaren moved from Colnbrook to a new base in Woking and whilst Dennis and Mayer initially shared the managing directorship of the company, by 1982 Mayer had departed and his and Tyler Alexander's shareholdings had been bought by the new owners.
In the early 1980s, teams like Renault, Ferrari and Brabham were using 1.5 litre turbocharged engines in favour of the 3.0 litre naturally-aspirated engines that had been standard since 1966. Seeing the need for a turbo engine of their own, in 1982 Dennis convinced Williams backer Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) to fund Porsche-built, TAG-branded turbo engines made to Barnard's specifications; TAG's founder Mansour Ojjeh would later become a McLaren shareholder. In the meantime, they continued with Cosworth engines as old rival Lauda came out of retirement to drive alongside Watson in that year's 1B development of the MP4. They each won two races, Watson notably from 17th place on the grid in Detroit, and McLaren were second in the constructors' title race. As part of a dispute with FISA, the sport's governing body, they boycotted the San Marino Grand Prix. 1983 was not so fruitful but Watson did win again in the United States, this time from 22nd on the grid at Long Beach.
Having been fired by Renault, Prost was once again at McLaren for 1984. Now using the TAG engines, the team dominated, scoring 12 wins and two-and-a-half times as many contructors' points as nearest rival Ferrari. In the drivers' championship, Lauda prevailed over Prost by half a point, the narrowest margin ever. The McLaren-TAGs were again strong in 1985; a third constructors' championship came their way whilst this time Prost won the drivers' championship. In 1986, the Williams team were resurgent with their Honda engine and drivers Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, whilst at McLaren, Lauda's replacement, 1982 champion Keke Rosberg couldn't gel with the car. Williams took the constructors' championship, but for Prost, wins in San Marino, Monaco and Austria combined with the fact that the Williams drivers were taking points from each other meant that he retained a chance going into the last race, the Australian Grand Prix. There, a puncture for Mansell and a precautionary pit stop for Piquet gave Prost the race win and his second title, making him the first driver to win back-to-back championships since Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960. In 1987 Barnard departed for Ferrari to be replaced by Steve Nichols (who himself joined Ferrari in 1989). In the hands of Prost and Stefan Johansson though, Nichols's MP4/3 and the TAG engine couldn't match the Williams-Honda.
For 1988 Honda switched their supply to McLaren and, encouraged by Prost, Dennis signed Ayrton Senna to drive. Despite regulations reducing the boost pressure and fuel capacity (and therefore, power) of the turbo cars, Honda persisted with a turbocharged engine. In the MP4/4, Senna and Prost engaged in a season long battle, winning 15 of the 16 races (at the other race at Monza, Senna had been leading comfortably but collided with back-marker Jean-Louis Schlesser). At the Portuguese Grand Prix, their relationship soured when Senna squeezed Prost against the pit wall; Prost won but afterwards said, "It was dangerous. If he wants the world championship that badly he can have it." Prost scored more points that year, but due to the fact that only the best 11 results counted, it was Senna who took the title at the penultimate race in Japan.
The next year, with turbos banned Honda supplied a new 3.5 L naturally-aspirated V10 engine and McLaren again won both titles with the MP4/5. Their drivers' relationship continued to deteriorate though, especially when, at the San Marino Grand Prix Prost felt that Senna had reneged on an agreement not to pass each other at the first corner. Believing that Honda and Dennis were favouring Senna, Prost announced mid-season that he would leave to drive at Ferrari the following year. For the second year in succession, the drivers' championship was decided at the Japanese Grand Prix, this time in Prost's favour after he and Senna collided (Senna initially recovered and won the race but was later disqualified).
In the early 1980s, teams like Renault, Ferrari and Brabham were using 1.5 litre turbocharged engines in favour of the 3.0 litre naturally-aspirated engines that had been standard since 1966. Seeing the need for a turbo engine of their own, in 1982 Dennis convinced Williams backer Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) to fund Porsche-built, TAG-branded turbo engines made to Barnard's specifications; TAG's founder Mansour Ojjeh would later become a McLaren shareholder. In the meantime, they continued with Cosworth engines as old rival Lauda came out of retirement to drive alongside Watson in that year's 1B development of the MP4. They each won two races, Watson notably from 17th place on the grid in Detroit, and McLaren were second in the constructors' title race. As part of a dispute with FISA, the sport's governing body, they boycotted the San Marino Grand Prix. 1983 was not so fruitful but Watson did win again in the United States, this time from 22nd on the grid at Long Beach.
Having been fired by Renault, Prost was once again at McLaren for 1984. Now using the TAG engines, the team dominated, scoring 12 wins and two-and-a-half times as many contructors' points as nearest rival Ferrari. In the drivers' championship, Lauda prevailed over Prost by half a point, the narrowest margin ever. The McLaren-TAGs were again strong in 1985; a third constructors' championship came their way whilst this time Prost won the drivers' championship. In 1986, the Williams team were resurgent with their Honda engine and drivers Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, whilst at McLaren, Lauda's replacement, 1982 champion Keke Rosberg couldn't gel with the car. Williams took the constructors' championship, but for Prost, wins in San Marino, Monaco and Austria combined with the fact that the Williams drivers were taking points from each other meant that he retained a chance going into the last race, the Australian Grand Prix. There, a puncture for Mansell and a precautionary pit stop for Piquet gave Prost the race win and his second title, making him the first driver to win back-to-back championships since Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960. In 1987 Barnard departed for Ferrari to be replaced by Steve Nichols (who himself joined Ferrari in 1989). In the hands of Prost and Stefan Johansson though, Nichols's MP4/3 and the TAG engine couldn't match the Williams-Honda.
For 1988 Honda switched their supply to McLaren and, encouraged by Prost, Dennis signed Ayrton Senna to drive. Despite regulations reducing the boost pressure and fuel capacity (and therefore, power) of the turbo cars, Honda persisted with a turbocharged engine. In the MP4/4, Senna and Prost engaged in a season long battle, winning 15 of the 16 races (at the other race at Monza, Senna had been leading comfortably but collided with back-marker Jean-Louis Schlesser). At the Portuguese Grand Prix, their relationship soured when Senna squeezed Prost against the pit wall; Prost won but afterwards said, "It was dangerous. If he wants the world championship that badly he can have it." Prost scored more points that year, but due to the fact that only the best 11 results counted, it was Senna who took the title at the penultimate race in Japan.
The next year, with turbos banned Honda supplied a new 3.5 L naturally-aspirated V10 engine and McLaren again won both titles with the MP4/5. Their drivers' relationship continued to deteriorate though, especially when, at the San Marino Grand Prix Prost felt that Senna had reneged on an agreement not to pass each other at the first corner. Believing that Honda and Dennis were favouring Senna, Prost announced mid-season that he would leave to drive at Ferrari the following year. For the second year in succession, the drivers' championship was decided at the Japanese Grand Prix, this time in Prost's favour after he and Senna collided (Senna initially recovered and won the race but was later disqualified).
90's
With former McLaren men Barnard, Nichols and Prost, Ferrari pushed the British team more closely in 1990. McLaren in turn brought in Ferrari's Gerhard Berger but, like the two seasons before, the drivers' championship was led by Prost and Senna and settled at the penultimate race in Japan. Here, Senna deliberately drove into Prost at the first corner forcing both to retire, but this time Senna escaped punishment and took the title; McLaren also won the constructors' championship. 1991 was another McLaren and Senna year with the ascendent Renault-powered Williams team their closest challengers. By 1992 Williams, with their advanced FW14B car, had overtaken McLaren breaking their four year run as champions, despite the latter winning four races.
Honda withdrew from the sport at end of the year and a deal to secure Renault engines fell through so McLaren switched to customer Ford engines for the 1993 season. Senna—who initially agreed only to a race-by-race contract before later signing for the whole year—won five races, including a record-breaking sixth at Monaco and at the European Grand Prix where he went from fifth to first on opening lap. His team-mate 1991 IndyCar champion Michael Andretti fared much worse however; he scored only seven points and was replaced by test driver Mika Häkkinen for the final three rounds. Williams ultimately won both titles and Senna—who had flirted with moving there for 1993—signed with them for the 1994 season. During the 1993 season McLaren took part in a seven part BBC television documentary called A Season With McLaren.
Source: www.wikipedia.org
Honda withdrew from the sport at end of the year and a deal to secure Renault engines fell through so McLaren switched to customer Ford engines for the 1993 season. Senna—who initially agreed only to a race-by-race contract before later signing for the whole year—won five races, including a record-breaking sixth at Monaco and at the European Grand Prix where he went from fifth to first on opening lap. His team-mate 1991 IndyCar champion Michael Andretti fared much worse however; he scored only seven points and was replaced by test driver Mika Häkkinen for the final three rounds. Williams ultimately won both titles and Senna—who had flirted with moving there for 1993—signed with them for the 1994 season. During the 1993 season McLaren took part in a seven part BBC television documentary called A Season With McLaren.
Source: www.wikipedia.org