The McLaren MP4/4 was a Honda-powered F1 car that competed in the 1988 season. Designed by the famous engineer Gordon Murray, the car was touted to be one of the most dominant F1 cars of its time, winning every single race (except 1) for that year, winning the team the 1988 constructor’s title.

Design

According to test driver Emanuele Pirro, the MP4/4 was well-balanced, making it easy to drive and easy to extract the greatest performance from. It was also a highly reliable car for the time, and highly powerful.

The car was designed to be low and flat, which improved the aerodynamics of the car as well as the handling, by having a lower centre of gravity. With a compact Honda V6 engine as well as redesigned side pods for the car, the MP4/4 was able to achieve these design objectives.

It is a perfect embodiment of Gordon Murray’s ‘low line aerodynamic vision’.

Fun Facts

1. The only time neither of the MP4/4 cars scored in a race in 1988 was in the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, when one of them crashed and the other suffered a break down, enabling the Ferrari car of Gerhard Berger to clinch an emotional win in Ferrari’s home race.
2. 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton got a chance to drive the car in Top Gear, and ‘love[s] this car’.
3. The dominance of the MP4/4 was made evident in the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix, where Aryton Senna (who is known for being excellent at the track) qualified 2.867 seconds faster than the next fastest non-McLaren car.

References

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.beyond-the-grid-driver-steward-emanuele-pirro-on-his-f1-battles-his-5-le.3H3M93ezK4bgwMpC9XWH00.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_MP4/4#Origins

https://f1chronicle.com/the-mclaren-mp4-4-f1s-most-dominant-car/

https://www.reuters.com/article/csports-us-motor-f1-monaco-senna-idCAKCN1IQ2AB-OCASP

https://thejudge13.com/2013/04/04/f1-forensics-modern-mclaren-mp44-part-1/