Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship (Bruce McLaren, 1974 - *Note: Bruce won in Cooper, but the list focuses on McLaren era wins*)

Lore & Background

McLaren is best known as a Formula One chassis constructor, the second-oldest active team and the second-most successful Formula One team after Ferrari, having won 205 races, 12 Drivers' Championships, and 10 Constructors' Championships. McLaren is one of only three constructors, and the only team, to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport (wins at the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Monaco Grand Prix). The team currently uses Mercedes power. Its partnership with Honda from 1988 to 1991 produced four consecutive Constructors' Championships; the team won 15 of 16 races in 1988. Founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963, the team made its Grand Prix debut at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix, won its first Grand Prix at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix, and took its first Formula One championships in 1974. Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, and Lewis Hamilton have won Drivers' Championships with McLaren. Champions Denny Hulme, Jody Scheckter, Keke Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button also drove for the team at one point during their careers. The team's most recent Drivers' Championship was won by Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

In Their Own Story

Rain hammered against the visor as the checkered flag finally waved at Interlagos in 2008, sealing a victory that would etch Lewis Hamilton's name into history. Inside the cockpit of the silver McLaren, the engine's familiar vibration faded into silence, swallowed by the deafening roar of a crowd that had waited decades for this specific moment. Back in the garage, mechanics wept openly, hugging one another as data screens confirmed what they already felt: another World Champion sat in the Papaya or silver seat. Under the floodlights, the livery gleamed—a beacon of Woking's enduring spirit against impossible odds.

Reader's Guide

McLaren also has a history in sports car and endurance racing, with a modified McLaren F1 road car winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995. The team is set to reenter the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027 with an LMDh entry, the McLaren MCL-HY. The team has also had experience in American open wheel racing as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship. Their current IndyCar entry, Arrow McLaren, has won 10 races since its takeover of Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2020. McLaren has previously entered the electric motorsports Formula E and Extreme E, though they achieved less success there than their other ventures and ended up pulling out of both. McLaren also participates in Formula One esports, in which they won the 2022 championship.

Did You Know?

• McLaren is the only team to have completed the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
• The team won 15 of 16 races in the 1988 season.
• McLaren's most recent Drivers' Championship was won by Lewis Hamilton in 2008.