McLaren 1988 Constructors' Title

Lore & Background

The MP4/5 was introduced for the 1989 season, the first year of compulsory naturally-aspirated engines. It was developed under technical director Gordon Murray and design lead Neil Oatley. The car won ten races in 1989, with Ayrton Senna taking six and Alain Prost four. The drivers' championship was decided at the penultimate race in Japan, where Senna and Prost collided; Prost retired on the spot, Senna won but was later disqualified, giving Prost the title. McLaren won the constructors' championship. For 1990, the MP4/5B featured redesigned wings and bodywork, and Senna and Gerhard Berger won six races, securing another constructors' title. The drivers' championship was again decided at the Japanese Grand Prix, where Senna and Prost collided on the first lap, giving Senna the championship.

Reader's Guide

The MP4/5 used a longitudinally-mounted gearbox early in 1989, switching to a transversely-mounted gearbox from the British Grand Prix. The car initially used McLaren brakes before switching to Brembo from the Monaco round. Honda supplied eight engines per race. The MP4/5B was used in 1990, with engine tweaks by Honda and development work by Senna. A test mule called MP4/5C was created for Honda's V12 engine, tested by Allan McNish before the 1990 French Grand Prix.

Did You Know?

• The MP4/5 was the last McLaren to finish 1st and 2nd in the drivers' championship in the same season as of 2025.
• Ayrton Senna equaled his 1988 record of 13 pole positions in the MP4/5.
• The MP4/5B appeared in the video game Gran Turismo 3 under the alias 'F090/S'.
• Gordon Murray retired from Formula One after working on the MP4/5B.