McLaren MP4-23

The McLaren MP4-23 is a Formula One racing car used by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes during the 2008 Formula One season. It was revealed at Mercedes-Benz's motor sport museum in Stuttgart on 7 January 2008,[1] and it had its first on-track appearance at Circuito Permanente de Jerez in Spain on 9 January.[2] The car won the 2008 World Drivers' Championship in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, but finished 2nd in the Constructors' Championship which was won by Ferrari. The car, along with its rivals during the season marked the end of an era of complex aerodynamic appendages on the bodywork, which would be banned for the 2009 season.

McLaren MP4-23

Category	Formula One
Constructor	McLaren
Designer(s)	Paddy Lowe (Engineering Director) Neil Oatley (Design and Development Director) Tim Goss (Chief Engineer) Simon Lacey (Head of Aerodynamics)
Predecessor	MP4-22
Successor	MP4-24
Technical specifications
Chassis	Moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures
Suspension (front)	Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement
Suspension (rear)	Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement
Engine	Mercedes-Benz FO 108V 2.4 litre V8 Naturally aspirated, 19,000 RPM Limited mid-mounted
Transmission	McLaren Applied Technologies 7-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamless semi-automatic paddle shift with epicyclic differential and multi-plate limited slip clutch
Fuel	Mobil Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Mobil 1 Lubricants, newly developed 2008 formula for lower friction and better wear resistance
Tyres	Bridgestone Potenza Enkei Wheels Front & Rear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Notable drivers	22. Lewis Hamilton 23. Heikki Kovalainen
Debut	2008 Australian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 18 6 13 8 3
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	1 (Lewis Hamilton, 2008)

Development

Following the 2007 Formula One espionage controversy the MP4-23 was subject to FIA inspection before the start of the 2008 season, to determine if any Ferrari intellectual property was on the car.[3][4] After an admission that the Ferrari information was disseminated more widely throughout the team than was originally thought an apology by McLaren on 13 December 2007, and a pledge that measures would be taken to rectify the situation, caused the FIA to decide that there was no need for a formal hearing and the matter was considered closed.[5][6]

Revisions from the MP4-22 included a longer wheelbase, the removal of the "bullhorn" winglets from the airbox and a new rear wing which differed both in main profile and its endplates.[7][8] In the pre-German Grand Prix testing, the car was run with a "shark fin" engine cover, as sported by cars such as the Renault R28 and the Red Bull RB4, but the team did not permanently run it.[9]

At the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix, some new aerodynamic parts were added, including "dumbo wings" on the nose, similar to those used by Honda on the RA108, which were temporarily removed at the Italian Grand Prix but reinstated for the rest of the season.

The MP4-23 was succeeded by the MP4-24.

Photos and media

• 
  Lewis Hamilton driving the MP4-23 at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
• 
  Heikki Kovalainen driving the MP4-23 at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.
• 
  Hamilton drives to victory in the 2008 British Grand Prix.
• 
  Gary Paffett testing a modified MP4-23K at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in preparation for the revised aerodynamic rules of 2009.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Points	WCC
2008	McLaren	Mercedes V8	B		AUS	MAL	BHR	ESP	TUR	MON	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	EUR	BEL	ITA	SIN	JPN	CHN	BRA	151	2nd
				Hamilton	1	5	13	3	2	1	Ret	10	1	1	5	2	3	7	3	12	1	5
				Kovalainen	5	3	5	Ret	12	8	9	4	5	5	1	4	10	2	10	Ret	Ret	7

Notes and references

1. "McLaren unveils title contender". ITV. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
2. "De la Rosa debuts the MP4-23 in Spain". Formula1.com. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
3. "McLaren hit by constructors' ban". BBC. 13 September 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
4. FIA Technical Department (5 December 2007). "Report by the Federation Internationale De L'Automobile Technical Department to the World Motor Sport Council" (PDF). FIA. Retrieved 8 January 2008. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. "McLaren Statement" (Press release). McLaren. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
6. "McLaren Apology and Undertakings" (Press release). FIA. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
7. "2008 Ultimate Season Review". F1 Racing. Haymarket. March 2008. pp. 99–101.
8. "McLaren MP4-23 - rear wing". formula1.com. 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.
9. "McLaren vows to keep pushing for titles". ITV-F1. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 12 July 2008.

External links

Awards
Preceded by McLaren MP4-22	Autosport Racing Car Of The Year 2008	Succeeded by Brawn BGP 001