McLaren MP4/4
The MP4/4 of Ayrton Senna | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren (chassis) Honda (engine) | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Gordon Murray (Technical Director) Steve Nichols (Chief Designer, Lead Engineer) Matthew Jeffreys (Project Manager: Monocoque & front suspension) Bob Bell (Chief Aerodynamicist) Osamu Goto (Engine Technical Director (Honda)) Michio Kawamoto (Engine Designer (Honda)) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | MP4/3 | ||||||||
| Successor | MP4/5 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre honeycomb monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbones, pull/push-rod actuated coil springs and dampers | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbones, rocker-arm actuated coil springs and dampers | ||||||||
| Axle track | Front: 1,824 mm (71.8 in) Rear: 1,670 mm (66 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,875 mm (113.2 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | Honda RA168E, 1,494 cc (91.2 cu in), 80° turbocharged V6 (2.5 Bar limited), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Weismann-McLaren 6-Speed manual | ||||||||
| Power | 675 hp (503 kW) @ 12,500 rpm 313 ft⋅lbf (424 N⋅m) @ 10,000 rpm | ||||||||
| Weight | 540 kg (1,190.5 lb) | ||||||||
| Fuel | Shell Qualifying: 84%–16% Toluene / Methanol Race: 60%–40% Toluene / Methanol | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Honda Marlboro McLaren | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 11. Alain Prost 12. Ayrton Senna | ||||||||
| Debut | 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| First win | 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last win | 1988 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last event | 1988 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 1 (1988) | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (1988, Ayrton Senna) | ||||||||
The McLaren MP4/4, also known as the McLaren-Honda MP4/4, was one of the most successful Formula One car designs of all time. Powered by Honda's RA168E 1.5-litre V6-turbo engine and driven by teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the car competed during the 1988 Formula One season. The design of the car was led by American engineer Steve Nichols, working with Gordon Murray, the team's recently-appointed Technical Director.
Honda had provided the Constructors' Championship-winning engines of 1986 and 1987, and for 1988 they switched partners from Williams to McLaren, who had struggled with their dated TAG-Porsche engines. The engine's design and development was led by Osamu Goto. The MP4/4 was a distinctly lower design than the previous year's MP4/3, forcing the drivers into a more reclined, almost lying down driving position.
In the 1988 season the MP4/4 won all but one race and claimed all but one pole position. The team won the year's constructors' title with about three times as many points as runners-up Ferrari. It holds the record for highest percentage of laps led in a season with 97.3% (1,003 out of 1,031). The car held the record for the highest win rate in a season until 2023, when the record was broken by the Red Bull Racing RB19, which was also powered by a Honda V6 turbocharged engine (95.45% win rate).