First of all, let me tell everyone that this review is on the Mclaren-Mercedes F1 team, and not on the car brand.
EARLY YEARS
Mclaren was founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren . The team did not enjoy much success until 1968. Mclaren won their first Constructor’s Championship with Brazillian legend Emerson Fitipaldi driving one of their cars in 1974. in 1981, the Mclaren team merged with Ron Dennis’ F2 team Project4. It was under the inspirational leadership of Dennis that the team climbed to the top of the mountain in the 1980s. Drivers such as Niki Lauda, Keke Rosberg and Prost helped Mclaren to many a race win.
THE EARLY 1990s
1990 was a very good year for McLaren. Ayrton Senna won the driver’s championship in 1990 and Mclaren also won the Constructor’s title. History repeated itself in 1991 when Mclaren won the constructor’s title again. But when engine partner Honda departed from F1, Mclaren was at a loss. In the next few years, McLaren seemed to have forgotten its winning ways. The Ford and Peugot engines used at this time lacked power and speed. F1 veteran Nigel Mansell , who drove a couple of races in 1995 retired after the first couple of races.
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
Mercedes joined Mclaren as its engine partner in the mid 1990s. Although the package was not overtly competitive at first, things began to fall into place by 1997. David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen steered the cars to impressive victories.
Mclaren dominated again in 1998 by winning both the championships. In 1999, Hakkinen won his second driver’s title but the constructor’s championship went to Ferrari. In 2000, the team had a competitive season but the title went to Ferrari.
THE MODERN TIMES
David Coulthard was sacked at the end of 2004 after he failed to win a single race that year. His young teammate Kimi Raikkonen outperformed him. For 2005, Mclaren had Coloumbian sensation Juan Pablo Montoya to partner Kimi Raikkonen. The team’s car, the MP4-20, was fearsomely quick but had reliabilty problems. The team won nine races out of 19 but sadlylost to rivals Renault in both championships. Current Formula One champion is joining the Woking-based squad for 2007, which should make for interestin watching. This news has surprised many in the paddock who thought that Alonso would remain loyal to Renault. Oh well, it seems that even he could not resist the charms of the Silver Arrows as the Mclarens are lovingly called. Lets hope that McLaren can win both championships this year, something they have not done since 1998.