McLaren M23

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The McLaren M23 with the starting number 7 from 1973, here at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2008. The car with the number 7 was Denis Hulme's emergency vehicle, with which he won the 1973 Swedish Grand Prix
Emerson Fittipaldi in the M23 at the 1974 British Grand Prix , which he finished second
# 23 McLaren M23. Dave Charlton drove this car at the 1974 South African Grand Prix
James Hunt in the M23 at the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix
McLaren M23 of James Hunt 2007 at the DAMC 05 Classic Car Festival

The McLaren M23 was a Formula 1 racing car that was developed by McLaren Racing in 1973 . With 16 victories in world championship races and two world championships, the M23 was one of the most successful vehicles in Formula 1 history.

technology

The M23 was McLaren's first Formula 1 racing car to be developed and designed exclusively by Gordon Coppuck . Coppuck derived his design from the McLaren M16 , the McLaren emergency vehicle in the US USAC series. The car had a narrow monocoque that tapered towards the front . The coolers were on the side panels. This design already complied with the rules for crumple zones that came into force in 1974, which was particularly noticeable through the high strength of the flanks. The suspensions were taken from the McLaren M19C , the previous model. In McLaren's typology, the M23 followed the M19 in Formula 1, as the M21 was a Formula 2 car . When driving the proven served V8 - DFV engine from Cosworth . The FG-400 gearbox came from Hewland . Coppuck had shifted the main weight of the car to the center, with the tank near the center of gravity.

During the first test drives, it was already evident that this design gave the car special aerodynamic properties. After the first few kilometers, works driver Denis Hulme reported smooth steering and excellent driving characteristics.

Development history and racing history

1973

McLaren's production of the emergency vehicles was delayed at the beginning of the season , so that Denis Hulme and Peter Revson had to contest the first two races of the season with the M19. Even for the South African Grand Prix , only one vehicle was made that Hulme got. Revson had to make do with the M19. This also applied to the South African Jody Scheckter , who also drove an M19. Hulme had a perfect debut with the M23, clocked the fastest time in qualifying and was thus on pole position . However, he was only 1.5 tenths of a second faster than Scheckter in the M19, who started the race from third on the grid. Hulme led the first four laps of the race and was then overtaken by Scheckter of all people. A puncture then interrupted the New Zealander's journey. He lost two laps in the pits, but finished fifth at the end of the race. McLaren was more than satisfied with the first use of the M23.

From the Spanish Grand Prix , Revson also drove the M23. At the Swedish Grand Prix , Hulme celebrated the first race win with the new car. However, he benefited from a slow puncture on the Lotus 72 of Ronnie Peterson , he could just overtake before the end of the race. McLaren was unable to intervene in the duel between Tyrrell and Lotus for the overall team and driver standings, but with the two victories of Peter Revson in Great Britain and Canada and other top placings - among other things, guest driver Jacky Ickx achieved third place at the German Grand Prix on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring - the team placed third in the constructors' championship at the end of the year.

1974

The 1974 season brought changes to the team. The M23 remained the emergency vehicle and was revised for the first time. The vehicles got new front wings and ran under the designation M23B . The most important innovation was the change in the main sponsor. Basically it wasn't a radical change, because the contract with the previous main sponsor Yardley only expired at the end of the year. Team manager Phil Kerr managed to divert the previous BRM donor, the tobacco company Philip Morris International , from the traditional British team to McLaren. Up until the era of Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard , the McLaren Formula 1 racing cars were now painted in the colors of the Marlboro cigarette brand . Since McLaren now had two main sponsors, three M23s were used in 1974. With Emerson Fittipaldi joining McLaren from Lotus and Denis Hulme having his final single-posto season, Revson would drive the Yardley M23. The negotiations broke up and the American switched to Shadow Racing Cars at the last minute . Mike Hailwood got the third cockpit . A previous year's M23 was sold to the South African Dave Charlton before the start of the season , who used the car in the South African championship.

In his retirement year, Hulme won the Argentine Grand Prix and Fittipaldi won the races in Brazil , Belgium and Canada . The decision in the world championship was made at the last race in the USA . Fourth place for Fittipaldi was enough for the world championship title, which he took three points ahead of Ferrari driver Clay Regazzoni . The designer title also went to McLaren. It was the first two world titles for the British team.

1975

In 1975 , the revised M23 entered its third racing season as a works car as the M23C . While the M23 was known as an easy-to-drive car in the previous two years, the 1975 changes went in the opposite direction. The weight distribution was corrected for changes to the suspensions. The center of gravity moved to the rear and the cars got a longer wheelbase. Neither did the M23's handling well. The German Jochen Mass , who won the demolition race in Spain , joined the team. The world championship team had grown into a prominent opponent in the form of the re- strengthened Ferrari team, especially the Austrian Niki Lauda drove a strong season. Fittipaldi won the races in Argentina and Great Britain , but he could not prevent the world championships of Lauda and Ferrari.

1976

Emerson Fittipaldi had left the team at the end of the 1975 season to build his own racing team with his brother Wilson . James Hunt joined the team for him . Coppuck was already working on the successor model, the M26 . For this car, the technician Alistair Caldwell had developed a six-speed gearbox in order to be able to better use the torque of the Cosworth engine. At the start of the season, McLaren was so far removed from the completion of the new racing car that the M23 had to be used again. The vehicles were given the designation M23D and were equipped with the new gearbox. Lighter side pods reduced the overall weight.

James Hunt and Jochen Mass competed with the M23D the entire season. The season was dramatic. Niki Lauda had his serious accident at the Nürburgring. There were disqualifications and many collisions. James Hunt was world champion with six wins this season and one point ahead of Lauda. In the parallel design competition, McLaren came second behind Ferrari.

1977

In 1977 the M23 entered its fifth season as a works car, now as the M23E . Hunt drove it in the first four races of the year as well as the Monaco Grand Prix , then the M26 was finally ready to go. Jochen Mass only got the M26 at the British Grand Prix . The last podium and at the same time the last World Championship points with an M23 was achieved by Mass with second place at the Swedish Grand Prix . Both Gilles Villeneuve and Bruno Giacomelli made their Formula 1 debuts in a factory M23 in 1977.

The US-American Brett Lunger and the Spaniard Emilio de Villota drove privately registered M23s in some world championship races, but could not achieve any placements in the points.

1978

The M23 was last used in the Formula 1 World Championship in 1978 . The last pilot was the young Nelson Piquet , who finished ninth in the Italian Grand Prix with the BS Fabrications -M23 .

These successful cars were driven for a few more years in the Aurora AFX Formula 1 series , where Tony Trimmer won the overall standings in 1978 in an M23.

literature

  • David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
  • Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1st 2nd edition. Chronosports, St. Sulpice 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French).

Web links

Commons : McLaren M23  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files