McLaren MP4/2
The McLaren MP4/2 was a Formula One car designed by John Barnard of McLaren for the 1984 season.
The car was one of the first to use an all carbon fibre chassis, following on from Lotus. The car was powered by a TAG Porsche V6 Turbo engine, which was first used in the final few races of 1983, at the insistence of Niki Lauda, who felt that the new engine required race testing before a championship challenge could be mounted. His instincts were right on.
Lauda was joined for 1984 by Alain Prost who had narrowly lost the 1983 championship to Nelson Piquet. Prost was made the scapegoat for Renault's failure and was fired, before Ron Dennis snapped up the young Frenchman in place of John Watson. Prost and Lauda proved to be a formidable combination. Both were excellent development drivers, and both gave technical feedback on the car and the engine which pushed the car's development far further than the other teams.
The MP4/2 was one of the first F1 cars to use carbon brakes, giving it another major advantage over most of its rivals. That, combined to superior fuel consumption and the driving skill of Lauda and Prost saw the MP4/2 score 12 wins in 1984, at the time the highest number of wins in a season by a single team. Lauda beat Prost the championship for the sake of a measly half point in the final race, even though Prost had 7 wins to Lauda's 5. Often the MP4/2's were the only cars to finish on the same lap, such was their domination. McLaren comfortably won the constructors' championship from Ferrari. Although the MP4/2 was not the fastest car in qualifying — often beaten by the Brabham BMW turbo — it was the most reliable and most consistent, attributes which helped it be so successful throughout its career.
For 1985, the MP4/2 was updated with cleaner aerodynamics and redesigned wings (to comply with new regulations) while TAG refined the engine. The suspension had to be redesigned after McLaren switched from Michelin to Goodyear tyres. However, the competition had more or less caught up. Michele Alboreto (Ferrari) fought Prost for most of the season, until McLaren's superior reliability told in both championships with Prost winning his first championship with 5 wins, and McLaren claiming their second successive constructors' championship. Lauda retired from F1 at season's end, but not before adding a final victory to his tally in the Netherlands for the team.
The MP4/2 was virtually unchanged in 1986, while Prost was joined by fiery Finn Keke Rosberg. By this time the Williams FW11 had overtaken McLaren as the best car; notably, the MP4/2's mileage was not as good as it was in 1984. Piquet joined Nigel Mansell at Williams and the two fought a fierce internal battle, while Prost cleverly built up his points total and snatched 4 wins from under the Williams teammates' noses. His second world championship was won more by stealth than speed as by now it was clear the TAG Porsche engine was past its best.
The MP4/2 won 22 Grands Prix (Prost, 16; Lauda, 6), took 7 pole positions (Prost, 6; Rosberg, 1), and scored 329 points throughout its three-year career. It contributed to 2 constructors' titles and 3 drivers' championships, and was and still is the single most successful car in F1 history.
