McLaren MCL32
The MCL32, driven by Fernando Alonso, during the Malaysian Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Tim Goss (Technical Director) Matt Morris (Engineering Director) Peter Prodromou (Chief Engineer) Christian Schramm (Head of Racing Technology) Stefano Sordo (Head of Vehicle Performance) Mark Ingham (Head of Chassis Design) Guillaume Cattelani (Head of Aerodynamics) Simone Nulli Rinalducci (Head of CFD) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | McLaren MP4-31 | ||||||||||
| Successor | McLaren MCL33 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre composite survival cell | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre wishbone and pushrod suspension elements operating inboard torsion bar and dampers (KONI dampers, springs and shock absorbers) | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Carbon fibre wishbone and pullrod suspension elements operating inboard torsion bar and dampers (KONI dampers, springs and shock absorbers) | ||||||||||
| Length | 5,200 mm (205 in) | ||||||||||
| Width | 2,000 mm (79 in) | ||||||||||
| Height | 950 mm (37 in) | ||||||||||
| Wheelbase | 3,520 mm (139 in) with -/+25 mm (0.9843 in) adjustable by adjusting the toe depending on circuit layout | ||||||||||
| Engine | Honda RA617H 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine, limited to 15,000 rpm in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout | ||||||||||
| Electric motor | Kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems | ||||||||||
| Transmission | McLaren 8-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamless semi-automatic paddle shift with epicyclic differential and multi-plate limited slip clutch | ||||||||||
| Battery | Honda lithium-ion batteries | ||||||||||
| Power | 850–900 hp (634–671 kW) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 728 kg (1,605 lb) (including driver) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | BP Ultimate 94.25% unleaded gasoline + 5.75% biofuel | ||||||||||
| Lubricants | Castrol EDGE Supercar | ||||||||||
| Brakes | Akebono brake-by-wire system featuring steel calipers and carbon discs and pads | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero dry slick and Pirelli Cinturato treaded intermediate and wet tyres Enkei 13" magnesium racing wheels | ||||||||||
| Clutch | AP Racing electro-hydraulically operated, carbon multi-plate | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | |||||||||||
| Debut | 2017 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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The McLaren MCL32 (originally known as the McLaren MP4-32) is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by McLaren to compete in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by two-time World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso, who stayed with the team for a third season; and Stoffel Vandoorne, who joined the team after Jenson Button retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2016 season.
The MCL32 made its competitive début at the Australian Grand Prix and is the first car built by McLaren since the McLaren M30—which contested part of the 1980 season—that does not contain the "MP4" prefix as part of its chassis name. The change was introduced following CEO Ron Dennis's departure from the team's parent company, the McLaren Technology Group, in November 2016. This was the last McLaren car to be fitted with a Honda engine as it was replaced by Renault engines from the 2018 season onwards.
After an improvement in the previous year, 2017 was a rough season for McLaren more akin to the kind of season the MP4-30 had endured in 2015. The cars were slow and the team's Honda engines proved to be very unreliable for much of the beginning of the season. Alonso retired from the opening two races and the team suffered double retirements in China, Monaco, and Italy. The team failed to score a point until Baku, when Alonso finished 9th, with Vandoorne picking up his first point of the season with 10th in Hungary. McLaren finished 9th in the Constructors' Championship, with 30 points, three more than their first season back with Honda power in 2015.
The MCL32 was the first McLaren F1 car not to field any British drivers regularly in the McLaren driver's line-up since the MP4-21 in 2006, when McLaren paired the Finnish Kimi Räikkönen and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya (who was replaced mid-season by Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa) as their 2006 season drivers. It was the first McLaren F1 car featured with a shark fin since the MP4-25 in 2010.