McLaren MP4/1

The McLaren MP4/1 (initially known as the MP4) was a Formula One racing car produced by the McLaren team. It was used during the 1981, 1982 and 1983 seasons. It was the first Formula One car to use a monocoque chassis wholly manufactured from carbon fibre composite, a concept which is now ubiquitous.

McLaren MP4
McLaren MP4B
McLaren MP4/1C
McLaren MP4/1E

McLaren MP4 (MP4/1), competed in the 1981 Formula One season
Category	Formula One
Constructor	McLaren
Designer(s)	John Barnard
Predecessor	M30
Successor	MP4/2
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon fibre monocoque
Engine	1981-1983: mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, Cosworth DFY, 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in), NA, 90° V8 1983: mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, TAG-Porsche PO1, 1,499 cc (91.5 cu in), turbo, 90° V6,
Transmission	McLaren / Hewland FGA 400 5-speed manual
Competition history
Notable entrants	Marlboro McLaren International
Notable drivers	7. John Watson 8. Andrea de Cesaris 8. Niki Lauda
Debut	1981 Monaco Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles F.Laps 43 6 0 5
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only.

The MP4 was the first car to be built following the merger of the McLaren team and Ron Dennis' Project 4 Formula 2 team; its designation was short for "Marlboro Project 4".[1]

Design and construction

The main engineer for the MP4 was John Barnard. The chassis itself was built by McLaren using carbon supplied by American firm Hercules Aerospace on the advice of McLaren engineer and former Hercules apprentice Steve Nichols and quickly revolutionised car design in Formula One with new levels of rigidity and driver protection and its Carbon-Fibre-Composite (CFC) construction, a first in Formula One. Within months the design had been copied by many of McLaren's rivals.[2]

From 1981 until late 1983 the MP4/1 was powered by the 3.0 litre Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine, but in late 1983 the team switched to turbocharging, using a 1.5 litre TAG V6 engine built by Porsche.

Hercules Aerospace keeps John Watson's car which was destroyed in the 1981 Italian Grand Prix and shows it off to visitors after allowing them to view footage of the accident, highlighting how it was possible for him to survive in a carbon fibre car.[3]

Racing

John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris drove the MP4/1 for most of the 1981 season with Niki Lauda replacing de Cesaris for the 1982 and 1983 seasons. In 1982, the updated MP4B nearly brought Watson to the World Championship, but he finished third behind Keke Rosberg and Didier Pironi, with 39 points. In the same year, however, it did take second in the Constructors' Championship, collecting 69 points.

For the 1983 season, the car was then updated into the MP4/1C, and the season started with a 1–2 finish for the MP4/1C at Round 2 in Long Beach, in which Watson won from 22nd on the grid – the farthest back on the grid a driver has won from in Formula One – and Lauda finished second from 23rd despite suffering from a worsening leg cramp. This car was used throughout most of the season but against the more powerful turbos of Renault, Ferrari and BMW, results with the outdated Cosworth V8 were becoming harder to come by, though Watson did finish third at the Detroit Grand Prix and the final race for the Cosworth car in Holland.

During the 1983 season, McLaren worked with Techniques d'Avant Garde and Porsche to develop a turbocharged V6 engine built to John Barnard's specifications and the MP4/1D was the test mule. Later in the season at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort the Cosworth-powered MP4/1C was replaced by the TAG-powered MP4/1E, which was essentially also a test mule that competed in only 4 races; according to Watson in an interview given in 2009 this was a car that was forced into appearing at the Dutch Grand Prix after political maneuvering by Lauda. He went to Marlboro executive Aleardo Buzzi (the man responsible for giving McLaren their primary sponsorship money), behind the back of the McLaren team and complained extensively to Buzzi about the uncompetitiveness of the team without a turbo engine. Buzzi then withheld money that had been committed to McLaren to develop the TAG/Porsche turbo engine. This infuriated Dennis and designer John Barnard, who had designed the MP4/2 specifically for the new turbo-charged engine, but now had to re-design his MP4/1 to "E" spec for the TAG engine.

The MP4/1E was first driven by Watson, not Lauda, at the Porsche proving ground. It was competitive but the new engine was, thanks to Lauda's political maneuvering, underdeveloped and had teething troubles. This made the car very unreliable, and it did not win any races. However, this car was not really expected to win or even finish races.[4] In total, the MP4/1 brought McLaren 6 wins, 11 other podium finishes and a total of 131 points.

BBC commentator Murray Walker drove the MP4/1C at Silverstone in 1983.[5]

The MP4B (listed as the MP4/1B) is available as a classic car in the video game F1 2019.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1981	Marlboro McLaren International	MP4	Cosworth DFV V8 NA	M		USW	BRA	ARG	SMR	BEL	MON	ESP	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	CPL		28	6th
					John Watson			Ret	10	7	Ret	3	2	1	6	6	Ret	Ret	2	7
					Andrea de Cesaris						Ret	Ret	11	Ret	Ret	8	DNS	7	Ret	12
1982	Marlboro McLaren International	MP4B	Cosworth DFV V8 NA	M		RSA	BRA	USW	SMR	BEL	MON	DET	CAN	NED	GBR	FRA	GER	AUT	SUI	ITA	CPL	69	2nd
					John Watson	6	2	6		1	Ret	1	3	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	13	4	2
					Niki Lauda	4	Ret	1		DSQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	1	8	DNS	5	3	Ret	Ret
1983	Marlboro McLaren International	MP4/1C	Cosworth DFV V8 NA	M		BRA	USW	FRA	SMR	MON	BEL	DET	CAN	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	EUR	RSA		34	5th
					John Watson	Ret	1	Ret	5	DNQ	Ret	3	6	9	5	9	3
					Niki Lauda	3	2	Ret	Ret	DNQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	6	DSQ	6
					Stefan Bellof														WD
		MP4/1E	TAG Porsche V6 tc		John Watson													Ret	Ret	DSQ		0	NC
					Niki Lauda												Ret	Ret	Ret	11

References

1. Nye, Doug (1984). McLaren the Grand Prix, Can-Am and Indy Cars. Hazleton Publishing. p. 222. ISBN 0-905138-28-7.
2. Sheehan, Michael (March 2012). "Ferrari's 65-Year Race to Save Weight". Sports Car Market. 3. 24: 44–45.
3. Motorsport, March 1999
4. http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/novembers-audio-podcast-with-john-watson/
5. Formula1Arab (6 June 2011). "Murray Walker : Life In The Fast Lane | Part 2/4". YouTube. Retrieved 6 December 2011.

External links