McLaren MP4 / 12

**McLaren MP4 / 12**
	A McLaren MP4 / 12 on display in the Sinsheim Auto and Technology Museum
Constructor:	McLaren
Designer:	Neil Oatley (Technical Director) ; Matthew Jeffreys (Designer) ; Henri Durand (Aerodynamics)
Predecessor:	McLaren MP4 / 11
Successor:	McLaren MP4 / 13
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Honeycomb sandwich -Monocoque from CFK
Engine:	Mercedes FO110E 2,998 cm³, 75 ° V10 naturally aspirated engine ; Mercedes FO110F 2,998 cm³, 75 ° -V10 naturally aspirated engine
Front suspension:	Double wishbone axle with internal coil springs and shock absorbers , operated via push rods
Rear suspension:	Double wishbone axle with internal coil springs and shock absorbers , operated via push rods
Weight:	0600 kg (including driver)
Tires:	Goodyear
Petrol:	Mobile 1
statistics
Driver:	09. Mika Hakkinen 10. David Coulthard ;
First start:	1997 Australian Grand Prix
Last start:	1997 European Grand Prix
World Cup points:	63
Podiums:	7th
Leadership laps:	128 over 635.632 km

The McLaren MP4 / 12 was the 45th Formula 1 - racing cars from McLaren . The MP4 / 12 was used in the 1997 season and designed by Neil Oatley . The car was powered by a Mercedes -FO110E / F-V10 engine with a displacement of 3 liters. The tires came from the US tire company Goodyear , the fuel from Mobil 1 .

Technology and development

Mika Häkkinen's McLaren MP4 / 12 in the 2013 Donington Grand Prix Collection

In addition to the standard pedals, another brake pedal was integrated into the car. This allowed the driver to manually brake one side of the car while driving. This compensated for understeer , you could control the exit better in slow bends and steer into a bend by braking on one side. The system, discovered by GP Racing magazine photographer Darren Heath , was declared illegal after a protest by Ferrari and banned from the 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix .

The new engine was mounted lower than last year, which led to aerodynamic changes at the rear and guaranteed a lower center of gravity.

The aerodynamic tests were in the wind tunnel of the National Physical Laboratory held. Henri Durand was responsible for this, supported by Phil Adey and Peter Prodromou. Among other things, the rear and front have been revised. The nose was lowered to better guide the airflow over the car and to better cool the engine.

A sequential semi-automatic transmission with six gears, which was developed independently under David North, was used as the transmission .

Racing history

The car is a further development of the previous year's model MP4 / 11B and was presented in Woking's own factory on January 14, 1997 . At the beginning of the season it became clear that the bolide was very promising and constant podium positions were within the realm of possibility, but ultimately it failed because of the poor reliability, and on the first day of testing Coulthard had to park his car after only three corners due to fuel pressure problems. The following day, the scenario with Häkkinen was repeated after 14 rounds. Nine out of a total of 14 failures during the season were due to technical defects, seven of which were only due to the engine, and three times they were eliminated while in the lead. The highlights of the season were the first and last races of the season when both drivers finished the race on the podium.

Painting and sponsorship

McLaren logo on the MP4 / 12

During the tests and at the official launch, the car was completely painted in traditional orange.

For the first time in 23 years, a McLaren was not painted in the red and white colors of the main sponsor Marlboro . Due to the new engine partner Mercedes and new main sponsor West, the car was kept in silver, with the nose surface and the rear wing being lighter than the rest. With the exception of the side radiators, the edge of the car was painted black. There were red accents on the nose and the side radiator.

The main sponsor since this year has been the West cigarette brand . Your logo was placed on the rear wing, the nose surface, right next to the driver and on the side radiator. At races in countries where tobacco advertising was banned , the corresponding spots on the vehicles remained vacant. The logo of the fuel supplier Mobil 1 was on the nose, the front wing and the upper part of the airbox . At the rear, the software manufacturer SAP was advertising .

driver

Last year's drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard were still used. Jan Magnussen was not registered as a substitute driver this year because the new FIA restrictions severely restricted testing with the two regular drivers.

Others

McLaren later developed the McLaren MP4-12C , which also contained the principle of the second brake pedal.

Results

driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	17th	Points	rank
Formula 1 World Championship 1997																			63	4th
Finland M. Hakkinen	09	3	4th	5	6th	DNF	7th	DNF	DNF	DNF	3	DNF	DSQ	9	DNF	DNF	4th	1
United Kingdom D. Coulthard	10	1	10	DNF	DNF	DNF	6th	7th	7th	4th	DNF	DNF	DNF	1	2	DNF	10	2

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
violet	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
red	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
White	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
Light Blue	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	^P / bold	Pole position
	_SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

Web links

Commons : McLaren MP4 / 12 - collection of pictures, videos and audio files