McLaren MCL38
An MCL38 driven by Lando Norris during the Dutch Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | Rob Marshall (Chief Designer) Other designers
| ||||||||||
| Predecessor | McLaren MCL60 | ||||||||||
| Successor | McLaren MCL39 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre composite | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre and titanium pullrod suspension legs operating inboard torsion bar and damper system | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Carbon fibre and titanium pushrod suspension legs operating inboard torsion bar and damper system | ||||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-AMG F1 M15 E Performance 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 | Mercedes-AMG Kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems | ||||||||||
| Transmission | McLaren 8-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamless semi-automatic transmission operated via paddle shifters with limited slip friction clutch epicyclic differential | ||||||||||
| Battery | Lithium-ion battery | ||||||||||
| Weight | 798 kg (including driver, excluding fuel) | ||||||||||
| Brakes | 6 piston calipers, carbon ventilated discs/pads | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero (dry) Pirelli Cinturato (wet) | ||||||||||
| Clutch | Electro-hydraulically operated, carbon multi-plate | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | McLaren F1 Team | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers |
| ||||||||||
| Debut | 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 2024 Miami Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 1 (2024) | ||||||||||
The McLaren MCL38 is a Formula One car designed and constructed by McLaren under the direction of Rob Marshall to compete in the 2024 Formula One World Championship, in which it won the World Constructors' Championship. The car was driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, in their sixth and second seasons with the team respectively. Both Norris and Piastri achieved their first Grand Prix wins with the MCL38.
The MCL38 made its competitive début at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix and has since proven itself to be a competitive car and a significant improvement over its already-accomplished predecessor, the MCL60. An early upgrade package improved its performance in slow-speed corners, addressing a long-standing weakness of McLaren cars. The car has achieved six race victories, fifteen other podiums, eight poles, three sprint poles, two sprint wins, five other sprint podiums, and seven fastest laps (two being track records), all en route to McLaren's first Constructors' Championship since 1998.
The MCL38 was the first McLaren car to win a Grand Prix since the MCL35M in 2021 and the first since the MP4-27 in 2012 to win multiple Grands Prix in a single season. It was also the first McLaren car since the MP4-29 in 2014 to lead the Constructors' Championship and the first since the MP4/13 in 1998 to win it, doing so at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Commentators generally agreed that the MCL38 did not achieve its optimum results, particularly in regards to Norris's curtailed challenge for the World Drivers' Championship following driver and team error. Regardless, the MCL38 was consistently amongst the quickest Formula One cars of the 2024 season and exceeded McLaren's expectations. The MCL38 was the first championship-winning Formula One car to use customer engines since the Brawn BGP 001 in 2009.