McLaren MP4/5

< McLaren MP4

McLaren MP4/5
McLaren MP4/5B
1989 MP4/5 chassis
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorMcLaren International (chassis)
Honda Racing F1 (engine)
Designer(s)Gordon Murray (Technical Director)
Neil Oatley (Chief Designer)
Mike Gascoyne (Head of Aerodynamics)
Osamu Goto (Engine Technical Director (Honda))
PredecessorMP4/4
SuccessorMP4/6
Technical specifications
ChassisCarbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque
Suspension (front)Double wishbones, pull-rod actuated coil springs and dampers
Suspension (rear)Double wishbones, rocker-arm actuated coil springs and dampers
Axle trackFront: 1,820 mm (72 in)
Rear: 1,670 mm (66 in)
Wheelbase1989: 2,896 mm (114.0 in)
1990: 2,940 mm (115.7 in)
Engine1989: Honda RA109E, 3,496 cc (213.3 cu in), 72° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
1990: Honda RA100E, 3,493 cc (213.2 cu in), 72° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted
TransmissionWeismann/McLaren Longitudinal and Transverse 6-Speed manual
Power675–710 hp (503.3–529.4 kW) @ 13,500 rpm
FuelShell
TyresGoodyear
Competition history
Notable entrantsHonda Marlboro McLaren
Notable drivers1./27. Ayrton Senna
2. Alain Prost
28. Gerhard Berger
Debut
First win
Last win
Last event
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
3216362712
Constructors' Championships2 (1989, 1990)
Drivers' Championships2 (1989, Alain Prost
1990, Ayrton Senna)

The McLaren MP4/5, and its derived sister model, the MP4/5B, were highly successful Formula One racing cars designed by the McLaren Formula One team based in Woking, England, and powered by Honda's naturally-aspirated RA109E and RA100E V10 engines respectively. With the overall leadership of Technical Director Gordon Murray, the design team was led by Neil Oatley, with Steve Nichols, Tim Wright, Bob Bell, Mike Gascoyne and Pete Weismann. Osamu Goto was the Honda F1 team chief designer for the car's engine.

The MP4/5 was loosely based on its 1988 predecessor, the all-conquering MP4/4. McLaren used the new car for half of the 1989 season using the Weismann Longitudinal Transmission from the MP4/4, and the MP4/5B with the Weismann Transverse Transmission for the last half of the 1989 season and for 1990, earning back-to-back drivers' and constructors' world titles with the type.