McLaren MP4 / 13

**McLaren MP4 / 13**
	A McLaren MP4 / 13 with Mika Häkkinen at the wheel
Constructor:	McLaren
Designer:	Adrian Newey (technical director) ; Neil Oatley (designer) ; Henri Durand (aerodynamics)
Predecessor:	McLaren MP4 / 12
Successor:	McLaren MP4 / 14
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Pressed composite monocoque made of CFRP
Engine:	Mercedes FO110G 2,998 cm³, 72 ° V10 naturally aspirated engine
Front suspension:	Double wishbone axle with internal springs and shock absorbers , operated via push rods
Rear suspension:	Double wishbone axle with internal springs and shock absorbers , operated via push rods
Length:	4550 mm
Width:	1800 mm
Height:	0950 mm
Wheelbase:	2900 mm
Weight:	0600 kg
Tires:	Bridgestone
Petrol:	Mobile 1
statistics
Driver:	7. David Coulthard 8. Mika Hakkinen ;
First start:	1998 Australian Grand Prix
Last start:	1998 Japanese Grand Prix
World Cup points:	156
Podiums:	20th
Leadership laps:	693 over 3,305.466 km
	Status: end of season 1998

The McLaren MP4 / 13 was the Formula 1 race car of McLaren Racing for the 1998 season , took part in all 16 races of the season.

Technology and development

The front wing
The rear wing
The engine and rear suspension

The technical director for development was Adrian Newey, he was subordinate to Neil Oatley for the construction and Henri Durand for the aerodynamic shape of the car. The nose is characteristic of the car. Compared to the previous year's car, some adjustments were necessary due to the new regulations. The track width was reduced to 1800 mm and the cockpit, which this year had to be wider according to the regulations, was moved to the rear in order to improve weight distribution. In addition, the wheelbase and overall length have been increased compared to the McLaren MP4 / 12 and the front suspension has been completely redesigned.

Engine, transmission and chassis

The engine used was the naturally aspirated FO110G-V10 from Mercedes-Benz with a displacement of 2998 cm³ and a cylinder bank angle of 72 °. This engine with four valves per cylinder develops approximately 780 hp or 574 kW at an engine speed of 17,300 rpm . This enables the car to reach a top speed of 352 km / h. The motor is 590 mm long, 546.4 mm wide and 476 mm high and weighs 107 kg. The spark plugs were provided by the Japanese company NGK , the engine oil and the fuel by Mobil 1 . The transmission is a sequential six-speed semi-automatic transmission developed in-house.

As a suspension, the car has a double wishbone axle with push rods at the front and rear . The tires were supplied by the Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone instead of Goodyear . The 13-inch rims came from Enkei , the brakes from AP Racing .

KERS

Revolutionary was the use of the braking energy to boost performance, also known as K inetic E nergy R ecovery S ystem . The hydraulic KERS used by McLaren charges an electrical accumulator via a piston when the car is braked. This stored energy can be called up when required to support the engine and to briefly increase the engine output by almost 40 hp. The system was declared illegal after a protest by Ferrari and was banned from the 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix . For the 2009 season , around eleven years after its initial development and use in Formula 1, KERS was allowed for all teams.

Brake-steer braking system

The MP4 / 13 had a braking system that other teams called "four-wheel steering". In addition to the regular one, there was a second pedal, controlled by a sensor for the steering angle, to brake the right or left rear wheel of the car individually using a split brake line via the existing brake system. If the driver braked the wheel on the inside of the bend in a targeted manner during the race, the car could be stabilized in the bend and understeer eliminated. The system, discovered by photographer Darren Heath , was declared illegal after a protest by Ferrari and was banned from the 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix .

The idea behind the system came from Steve Nichols , a former racing car designer and employee at McLaren, in the winter of 1996/1997. The racing team successfully tested this concept a few months later, but feared that the drivers would feel uncomfortable with the extra pedal that was installed to the left of the normal brake pedal. Häkkinen was the first to adapt to the system as he was already braking with his left foot.

Racing history

The MP4 / 13 on release

Ron Dennis acted as team principal, while Norbert Haug as Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport was also involved in important team decisions. The MP4 / 13 is the first racing car designed by Adrian Newey since joining McLaren in 1997. Newey was inspired by his previous engagement at Williams.

The finished bolide was presented to the public on February 5, 1998 at the racing stable's headquarters in Woking . However, the car had a classic orange paintwork, the final gray paintwork was presented on February 16 in Barcelona during the winter test drives. In Barcelona, the car was far superior to the other teams and almost three seconds faster than the first chaser. One of the main reasons for this superiority is Newey's interpretation of the rules, who interpreted every loophole in the new regulations legally in his favor.

The first race in Australia showed how dominant the car was: In qualifying, McLaren and Häkkinen took the first row ahead of Coulthard, followed by Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari, around seven tenths of a second . In the race, the McLaren duo outclassed the competition and again took the first two places, followed by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, one lap behind, in third place . Häkkinen achieved the fastest lap time of 1: 31.649 minutes, around two seconds faster than the first non-McLaren driver. In addition, McLaren led every lap during the race, with Häkkinen alone leading the field for 38 laps.

In the following race weekends, McLaren regularly dominated practice, qualifying and races despite the bans on the braking system and KERS. There were two failures due to gearbox or engine defects and one failure each due to a defective accelerator pedal, a turntable and an accident in Belgium . Mika Häkkinen won the world championship with eight wins ahead of Michael Schumacher; David Coulthard finished third with a win in Canada . With a lead of 23 points, the team also won the team championship and the constructors' championship. McLaren scored a double victory five times, each with Häkkinen ahead of Coulthard. In addition to the technically high-quality car, the good team dynamics were decisive for the successful season.

Painting and sponsorship

For the tests and for the official launch, the car was painted entirely in traditional orange.

In 1998, the paintwork again consisted of a silver-black mixture with red accents on the front wing. The main sponsor was the cigarette manufacturer West , which advertised with its logo on the rear wing and side pods of the car. The logo was removed from races where tobacco advertising was banned. Mercedes-Benz , Hugo Boss and the fuel supplier Mobil 1 advertised on the airbox ; In addition to Warsteiner , Bridgestone and Loctite , the latter also had space on the front wing. The Italian company Camozzi , which specializes in pneumatic systems, placed its company logo on the side rear wing . The name of the US software company Computer Associates was on the baffles .

driver

David Coulthard with race engineer Pat Fry and Mika Häkkinen with race engineer Mark Slade were again chosen as drivers . Nick Heidfeld and Ricardo Zonta were appointed test drivers .

Others

The MP4 / 13 is available as part of the historic racing cars in the video games F1 2017 , F1 2018 and F1 2019 .

After winning the Autosport Young Driver of the Year award, the future Formula 1 world champion of 2009 Jenson Button received a test drive with an MP4 / 13. This was the first time Button had driven a Formula 1 car.

Results

driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	Points	rank
Formula 1 World Championship 1998																		156	1.
United Kingdom D. Coulthard	7th	2	2	6th	1	2	DNF	DNF	6th	DNF	2	2	2	7th	DNF	3	3
Finland M. Hakkinen	8th	1	1	2	DNF	1	1	DNF	3	2	1	1	6th	DNF	4th	1	1

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 / 13 - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Vehicle profile at chicanef1.com
Vehicle profile at F1technical.net
Vehicle profile at f1.fandom.com
Vehicle profile at StatsF1.com
Vehicle profile at traumautoarchiv.de
de.motorsport.com F1 Legends: McLaren-Mercedes MP4 / 13
grandprix.com A review of the year
mercedes-benz.com Myth 7: McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 racing car MP4-13.
motorsport-total.com database information on McLaren MP4 / 13
motorsportmagazine.com Brake-steer McLaren
snaplap.net McLaren MP4 / 13 - Newey's Masterpiece That Revived a Team

Individual evidence

↑ McLaren's secret brake pedal | Motor Sport Magazine Archive. July 7, 2014, accessed November 4, 2019 .
↑ crash.net: Button Tests For Prost. crash.net, December 20, 1999, accessed March 30, 2020 .

[1] McLaren's secret brake pedal | Motor Sport Magazine Archive. July 7, 2014, accessed November 4, 2019 .

[2] rash.net: Button Tests For Prost. crash.net, December 20, 1999, accessed March 30, 2020 .