McLaren MP4-23
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) |
Paddy Lowe (Engineering Director) Neil Oatley (Design and Development Director) Tim Goss (Chief Engineer) Doug McKiernan (Chief Aerodynamicist) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | MP4-22 | ||||||||||
| Successor | MP4-24 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement | ||||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz FO 108V 2.4 litre V8 Naturally aspirated, 19,000 RPM Limited mid-mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | McLaren, 7 forward speeds + 1 reverse Semi-automatic | ||||||||||
| Fuel |
Mobil Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Mobil 1 Lubricants, newly developed 2008 formula for lower friction and better wear resistance | ||||||||||
| Tyres |
Bridgestone Potenza Enkei Wheels Front & Rear | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers |
22.  Lewis Hamilton23.  Heikki Kovalainen | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2008 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (Lewis Hamilton, 2008) | ||||||||||
The McLaren MP4-23 was Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes' Formula One car for the 2008 Formula One season. It was revealed at Mercedes-Benz's motor sport museum in Stuttgart on 7 January 2008,[1] and it had its first on-track appearance at Jerez in Spain on 9 January.[2] The car won the 2008 World Drivers' Championship in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, but finished 2nd in the Constructors' Championship which was won by Ferrari. The car, along with its rivals during the season marked the end of an era of complex aerodynamic appendages on the bodywork, which would be banned for the 2009 season.
Development
Following the 2007 Formula One espionage controversy the MP4-23 was subject to FIA inspection before the start of the 2008 season, to determine if any Ferrari intellectual property was on the car.[3][4] After an admission that the Ferrari information was disseminated more widely throughout the team than was originally thought an apology by McLaren on 13 December 2007, and a pledge that measures would be taken to rectify the situation, caused the FIA to decide that there was no need for a formal hearing and the matter was considered closed.[5][6]
Revisions from the MP4-22 included a longer wheelbase, the removal of the "bullhorn" winglets from the airbox and a new rear wing which differed both in main profile and its endplates.[7][8] In the pre-German Grand Prix testing, the car was run with a "shark fin" engine cover, as sported by cars such as the Renault R28 and the Red Bull RB4, but the team did not permanently run it.[9]
At the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix, some new aerodynamic parts were added, including "dumbo wings" on the nose, similar to those used by Honda on the RA108, which were temporarily removed at the Italian Grand Prix but reinstated for the rest of the season.
The MP4-23 was succeeded by the MP4-24.
Photos and media
Lewis Hamilton driving the MP4-23 at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
Heikki Kovalainen driving the MP4-23 at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton drives to victory in the 2008 British Grand Prix.
Gary Paffett testing a modified MP4-23K at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in preparation for the revised aerodynamic rules of 2009.
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Chris Goodwin driving the MP4-23 at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed
 Chris Goodwin driving the MP4-23 at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed
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Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | McLaren | Mercedes V8 | B | AUS | MAL | BHR | ESP | TUR | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | EUR | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | CHN | BRA | 151 | 2nd | |
| Hamilton | 1 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Ret | 10 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 5 | ||||||
| Kovalainen | 5 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 10 | Ret | Ret | 7 |
Notes and references
- ↑ "McLaren unveils title contender". ITV. 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ↑ "De la Rosa debuts the MP4-23 in Spain". Formula1.com. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ↑ "McLaren hit by constructors' ban". BBC. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ↑ FIA Technical Department (2007-12-05). "Report by the Federation Internationale De L'Automobile Technical Department to the World Motor Sport Council." (PDF). FIA. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ↑ "McLaren Statement" (Press release). McLaren. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ↑ "McLaren Apology and Undertakings" (Press release). FIA. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ↑ "2008 Ultimate Season Review". F1 Racing. Haymarket. March 2008. pp. 99–101.
- ↑ "McLaren MP4-23 - rear wing". formula1.com. 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.
- ↑ "McLaren vows to keep pushing for titles". ITV-F1. 2008-07-11. Archived from the original on July 12, 2008.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to McLaren MP4-23. |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by McLaren MP4-22 |
Autosport Racing Car Of The Year 2008 |
Succeeded by Brawn BGP 001 |
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