McLaren is one of the oldest teams on the Formula 1 circuit and since the time they have been formed, the most successful. But the going has not been exactly the easiest over the last few years.
Founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, they have won 11 Drivers' Championship titles and 8 Constructors' titles. Their most successful years have been 1974, 84, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91 and 98 when they won both titles in the same year. Over the years, McLaren has employed some of the best drivers of their times including Denny Hulme in the late 1960s, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger in the 1980s and Mika Hakkinen in the later part of the '90s.
The MP4 chassis of the McLaren F1 team that has been in use for almost 25 years now came about when a struggling team known as Project 4, sponsored by Marlboro was brought together with the McLaren team. At the time (in the early 1980s), McLaren had funds and a set up to nurture a good team while Project 4 had a good engine, designer and a new concept of fibre-glass body but no money. The term MP4 in fact stands for "Marlboro Project 4" but has over the years been conveniently dubbed as "McLaren Project 4".
The last season was a bit of an up and down one for them. They were always in contention and near the top of the pack, but lack of reliability prevented them from going any further. For the first time in ten years, McLaren failed to win a race through the season. But hopes are high for 2007 with the signing of Fernando Alonso and the new Mercedes engine. |
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