McLAREN - FORMULA 1

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http://www.mclaren.com/





The McLaren Formula One team is rich in heritage, having been formed in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren. Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Limited as it was then known set to work on building a Formula One car, and three years later the team made its debut at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix.

The team scored their first race win in 1968, when Bruce McLaren piloted a McLaren-Ford to victory. Tragically though the New Zealander lost his life at a Can Am testing accident at the Goodwood Circuit in 1970, but the team continued his legacy, winning races in Formula One and expanding into Indy and Can-Am Racing.

In 1974 the team celebrated its first Formula One Drivers' and Constructors' Championship win, with Emerson Fittipaldi in the McLaren-Ford M23. The next Drivers' Championship came courtesy of English driver James Hunt, behind the wheel of the McLaren-Ford M23 in 1976.

To date the team has achieved the highest number of double race wins of any pair of Formula 1 drivers with team-mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost notching up 14 wins between them in the 1988 / 89 season. The Senna / Prost partnership also holds the accolade for the most grands prix wins in a season. In 1988 the pair won 15 out of the 16 races on the calendar.

The team has won four consecutive Drivers' and Constructors' Championships (1988-1992) and secured eight Constructors' World Championship titles, the first of which was in 1974. Today the team now has a record 11 Drivers' World Championship titles and eight Constructor's World Championships.

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The 1960s



McLaren M2B [1966] - McLaren M7B [1969]



The 1970s



McLaren M19A [1971-1972] - McLaren M23 [1973-1978]



The 1980s



McLaren MP4/2B [1985] - McLaren MP4/4 [1988]



The 1990s



McLaren MP4/6 [1991] - McLaren MP4/14 [1999]



The 2000s



McLaren MP4/17D [2003] - McLaren MP4/21 [2006]

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1. +10, +1 and MSG OK
Used by the driver to scroll through the various car function menus. Also allows certain functions to be overridden if something goes wrong. The MSG OK button (black with a white cross) changes the respective menus of the +10 and +1 buttons.

2. P / PLS
Switches the pitlane speed limiter on and off.

3. DRINKS
Activates an electric pump to bring water to the driver’s mouth via a tube from a reservoir under his seat.

4. PIT
Switches on the car-to-pit radio, allowing the driver to talk to his race engineer whenever he is out on track.

5. TC OFF
Switches off the traction control. This allows the driver to spin the rear wheels during the formation lap to warm the rear tyres. Also used when exiting the pit box to deposit rubber, providing extra grip at the next pitstop.

6. A, B & Y
Used to change traction control settings. Multiple different combinations enable the driver to find the optimum level of intervention. This is crucial because grip levels can can change radically during a race depending on factors such as the weather and track temperature, how much rubber the cars’ tyres have deposited, and also any debris or dirt on the track. The numbered dial (Y) presets the lowest available gear, allowing the driver to downshift very quickly without danger of selecting too low a ratio and over revving the engine.

7. C, D & E
Used to change the car's differential settings. Adjusted to suit the overall car set-up, but can be altered depending on the engine's rev limits, the current fuel load, and other variables.

8. F
Controls the engine fuel mixture level. This allows the driver to balance fuel economy with performance depending on the current race situation.

9. G
Fixes engine performance level to suit strategy ranging from qualifying configuration to a safety car situation.

10. H
Switches between various car configuration settings to account for whether grooved, intermediate or wet tyres are being used.

11. OT
Used to temporarily increase the engine's maximum rev limit and boost power during overtaking manoeuvres. Once the driver releases the button the rev limit automatically defaults to the setting fixed by dial G.

12. R/NEU
Selects reverse gear and neutral. Positioned so that it can be accessed very quickly.

13. TX
A blue LED that lights up to indicate the carto-pit radio is activated.

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When Bruce McLaren died in a testing accident at Goodwood in 1970 at the young age of 32, he had already established a rich heritage which he was to leave to the world of motor racing. His team had been phenomenally successful in various forms of racing, he had been successful as a driver, and he had been much admired as a person and greatly loved in the sport.

That heritage has survived throughout the years. Teddy Mayer ran the team for a decade after McLaren's death, Ron Dennis then took it over in 1980 andsince then, McLaren International, now known as McLaren Racing, has enjoyed incredible success, run with an attention to detail that the founder would have appreciated.

McLaren's early links with Ford, for instance, are mirrored by those currently with Mercedes-Benz. To move into Grand Prix racing, Bruce established his team under the flight path at Colnbrook, near Heathrow. The McLaren Technology Centre, where the formula One team is now based, on the outskirts of Woking in Surrey sees the team remain in the same area.

But it all began on the other side of the world. Bruce McLaren was born in Auckland, New Zealand on August 30, 1937. His father, Leslie, ran a garage and having raced motorcycles, moved to racing cars after the war.

Bruce McLaren himself had an extraordinary childhood; aged nine, he contracted Perthe's disease which affects the hip. After a month in hospital, he spent three years in a home for crippled children, his legs in plaster casts, lying in traction, immobile for months on end. Later he would be allowed a wheelchair but at one time there were fears that he would never walk again. He did so, of course, but with a limp; his left leg was 1 1/2 inches shorter than his right. All this time, however, he studied and was able to graduate to an engineering course at Seddon Memorial Technical College. But he was already intrigued by motor sport. His father bought an 750 cc Austin Ulster Seven but it scared him rigid. Bruce, however, persuaded his father that he should race it and an early rival was one Phil Kerr, who was to become a mainstay in the McLaren team.

When the Austin was sold (it is now at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking) Bruce raced his father's Austin Healey 100 in 1956/7, but when this expired, McLaren managed to buy a bob tailed centre seat Cooper, previously raced by Sir Jack Brabham.

All this time, Bruce was still a student but managed a kind of correspondence course with Brabham in England to sort out the car. Brabham then suggested bringing a pair of Formula Two Coopers to New Zealand for the winter and that Bruce would drive one of them. There was a fair amount of success, and Bruce went on to become New Zealand's first 'Driver to Europe' in 1958.



(McLaren Directors, L-R: Bruce McLaren, Tyler Alexander, Teddy Mayer, Phil Kerr)


Bruce sold his own car and instead bought a new Cooper when he arrived in England. It was the start of his international career, and he learned about European racing as he trailed the little Formula Two car from race to race. But it was finishing fifth overall and first in Formula Two in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring that really established him. He took a 1960cc Formula Two car home to New Zealand and won his national championship that winter.

For 1959, Bruce was signed as a Cooper Formula One driver which he would remain for the next six years. His teammate was Jack Brabham and in that first year, he won the final Grand Prix of the year at Sebring. He was the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix at 22, and his teammate won the World Championship.

Bruce became engaged to Patty Broad that winter, and would marry her the following year. On his return to Europe, he was Brabham's teammate again, and once again, the New Zealander won the World Championship. Bruce actually led the championship for a race and won in Argentina. He was second to Brabham in the championship.

Brabham now left the team, leaving McLaren as team leader, but new engine regulations cost the team dearly in 1961. It was better in 1962 when Bruce was allowed some say in the design process and he won at Monaco, finishing third in the championship. The following year, however, was very difficult. Patty McLaren was injured in a water skiing accident, John Cooper was badly injured in a road accident, Bruce himself was thrown out of his uncompetitive car at the Nürburgring and was knocked out, he then began to look for alternatives.

As usual, McLaren wanted to take a car down to New Zealand to race in the Tasman series, but his suggestion to slim down a pair of Coopers for himself and American Timmy Mayer, fell on deaf ears at Cooper. So late in 1963, Bruce and Mayer's brother Teddy registered the name Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. The series was a success in that Bruce won the championship, but tragic because Mayer was killed. It had sewn the seeds, however. Bruce would say that there was nothing like designing, building, running and racing your own cars. It was full circle. Bruce would continue as a Cooper Formula One driver for another two seasons scoring 13pts in 1964 and 10 the following year, while his own company was being established.

While Formula One remained the major series, sports cars were also fashionable on either side of the Atlantic. Bruce, via Mayer, bought the ex Mecom/Penske Zerez Special and raced it in Europe. That spawned the idea of their own car, the McLaren M1, and that was put into production by Peter Agg's Lambretta Trojan Group in Rye, Sussex. They would make and sell 200 McLarens during the next ten years. Bruce was also involved in the development of Ford's GT cars.

McLaren was still Cooper's number one driver in 1965, but Charles Cooper died and son John sold the team to the Chipstead Motor Group. Bruce, helped by a former Concorde senior scientific officer called Robin Herd, began to seek other areas than sports cars and looked to the new three litre Formula One in 1966.


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Active: 1981
Designer: John Barnard
Drivers: John Watson (7), Andrea De Cesaris (8 )


McLaren rocked Formula 1 with its first composite design. Twenty five years on, it is still leading the way

March 6, 1981, was a day that changed the motorsport world. When McLaren unveiled its carbon-composite MP4-1 chassis to an expectant press corps at a rain-swept Silverstone, it wasn't only the journalists who felt the breeze. The winds of change blew through the entire sport.

The MP4-1 was the first fully composite Formula 1 chassis, designed as a moulding, rather than the traditional series of flat aluminium panels mechanically fixed together. The design team had challenged conventional thinking on both the materials used and the method of construction. Their reward was a gigantic leap in strength and stiffness that would revolutionise racing car design.





Pioneering new frontiers of composite technology has subsequently become a hallmark of the McLaren Group. The record-breaking McLaren F1 became the world's first fully composite production road car. The follow-up project, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, represented an even bigger achievement: bringing composite technology to the mass market. Engineers had to rip up the rules and invent new technology to produce the first-ever series production sports car to feature entirely carbon-composite bodywork and a monocoque chassis.

In racing, Team McLaren Mercedes is continuing to break new ground. Its latest Formula 1 challenger, the MP4-21, is the most advanced composite Formula 1 design the team has ever produced. "There is a night-and-day difference between the MP4-1 and the MP4-21 but, although the techniques and materials have changed, the core principle remains the same," reveals Neil Oatley, Design and Development Director, McLaren Racing. "In 1981, very few structural components were made in composites, so it was a huge leap forward in motor racing technology to commit to a chassis in that material. John Barnard, head of the MP4-1 design team, was an adventurous engineer who wanted to push the boundaries." And push he did. As many as 50 sections of aluminium were required to produce a conventional monocoque, but the MP4-1 was constructed from just five major composite mouldings. The strength of the carbon fibre relied on loads being fed along the axis of the strands, giving the structure a much higher stiffness-to-weight ratio than aluminium. This breakthrough would revolutionise Formula 1 safety, but the technology was initially treated with suspicion. -Race car designers were traditionally mechanical engineers with little experience of dealing with these materials," recalls Oatley.

Yet once rivals grasped the benefits McLaren had harnessed, every team on the grid quickly followed its lead. Today, over 60 per cent of the Team McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car is constructed from carbon fibre. The use of composite technology has been extended to include all of the suspension parts, and the team also boasts the only race-winning carbon fibre composite gearbox casing. "To have used this technology in such hostile environments, where components are subject to extreme loads, temperatures and vibration, would once have been a huge step in the dark," says Oatley. -But our knowledge has increased to the point where these developments are now safe and considerably worthwhile."

The drive to improve both safety and performance has been a catalyst for the development of new materials for the MP4-21. Cutting-edge techniques such as resin infusion, which was perfected on the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, have also been introduced for some components. Work on the new car's composite structures started last summer with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the MP4-20, to determine how its complex mix of fibres and resin could be improved.

"That analysis enabled us to build on the good stiffness-to weight ratio, crashworthiness and compact size of the MP4-20," says Steve Foster, Senior Design Engineer - Composites. "The FIA is looking to significantly increase the pass criteria for its crash tests over the next few years, and we have gone in a slightly different direction to better meet those requirements." In some instances, the results have been spectacular. "We have improved one of the crash structure's ability to absorb impact energy significantly, without increasing its weight," Foster reveals.

Great strides have also been made with manufacturing techniques. Featuring hundreds of layers of plies, each individually tailored for stiffness or strength, the construction of a Formula 1 chassis is complex, involving more than 2000 man-hours of labour. A computer templating system has improved accuracy and quickened the process. "We now use laser technology to position the individual plies, rather than cutting out cardboard templates and using rulers to measure where each sheet of laminate is positioned," says Foster. "Much of that work can now be achieved at the press of a button, and the lasers reduce the margin of error and save time."





While the MP4-1 was designed in conjunction with a US aerospace company, McLaren Racing now has an in-house composites facility. More than 80 people work in the department, which features six autoclaves in which materials are cured. The facility enables the manufacture of composites around the clock, more than halving the original time from design to finished product. The relationship with the Advanced Composites Group, an Official Supplier of materials to Team McLaren Mercedes, is also an important asset. ACG are continuously developing their products and currently supply between 40-50 grades of advanced composite to McLaren. "They are very accommodating in terms of the demanding timescales that Formula 1 imposes on them," says Foster. -Their laboratories and chemists also offer excellent technical support."

But the biggest testament to the McLaren Group's progress is that where composite development was originally driven by the space race, the wheel has now turned full circle. McLaren has developed composites for a number of space projects, and its work has been commended by NASA. Praise doesn't come any higher.


The Driver's Verdict




"Like flying in Concorde when you've only ever flown in a 707," is John Watson's assessment of the MP4-1, the car in which he delivered the first win of McLaren's modern era. His landmark victory at Silverstone in the 1981 British Grand Prix was the highlight of a season that he had entered with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

"A composite carbon fibre chassis was a big step into the unknown," he says. "The question all Formula 1 drivers were asking was what was going to happen in an accident?" The Ulsterman found out early in the test programme that the unyielding nature of the carbon fibre was very different to the steel and aluminium panels he was used to. "My first major discovery was that if you banged your elbow in the cockpit, there was no give at all - it really hurt!" he recalls. Team-mate Andrea de Cesaris demonstrated the car's structural integrity by walking away from a number of crashes. Watson found out for himself when he escaped from a 140mph crash that destroyed the car at Monza 's daunting Lesmo bends. "Fortunately, the design turned out to be virtually bulletproof," he says. "It's easy to take a new material and apply old thinking, and many people didn't understand the technology at first. But John Barnard and his team weren't into gambles - they knew exactly what the materials would give them. The MP4-1 was born out of incredible vision."

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INDIANAPOLIS 500

Team McLaren has scored three Indy 500 victories, in the open wheeled American racing series. The first win was in 1972 with Mark Donohue piloting the McLaren M16B, and Johnny Rutherford scored two victories in 1974 and 1976. The following tells the story of the 1974 race.

It was Johnny Rutherford’s second year with Team McLaren and a number of rule changes had been introduced which were aimed at reducing the overall speed of the cars. These included reducing the size of the rear wings, lowering the turbo boost by at least seven mph from the previous year, and reducing the fuel capacity by 30 gallons, down from 75 to 45 gallons.

Qualifying was spread out over two consecutive Saturdays, and during Rutherford’s first session his engine blew up. Despite a very quick engine change, he was not allowed to qualify until the following Saturday. On the second qualifying day he was the second fastest, but had to start the race in 25th place.

On race day itself, Rutherford had a sensational start, moving up through the field to third place by lap 12. Later in the race he moved up a place and was battling with race leader A.J Foyt. Foyt was black flagged for oil smoke on lap 139 and then later broke the scavenger pump on his turbocharger which caused his retirement.

Rutherford took the lead, which he held for 59 of the last 60 laps, only losing it briefly to Bobby Unser when he made his final pitstop. Rutherford went on to take victory at an average speed of 255 kph, lapping the entire field except for Unser who finished second.



CAN AM SUCCESS - 'THE BRUCE AND DENNY SHOW'

CanAm, short for Canadian-American Challenge Cup, was a racing series set up by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and took place on North American road circuits between 1966 and 1974 for Group 7 sports type racers.

For the inaugural Can-Am season, Team McLaren built the McLaren M1B and entered two cars in the championship, one for team founder Bruce McLaren and the second for his fellow New Zealander Chris Amon. Both drivers led races and scored fastest laps during the season, and their best finishes were three-second places.

In 1967 Amon was replaced by another New Zealander, driver Denny Hulme and he and McLaren embarked on a domination of the sport which was to last for five years. Five of the six races that season were won by Team McLaren, two races plus the championship for Bruce McLaren and three race victories for Hulme.

Team McLaren continued to build on their success during the 1968 season. The team won four races in the six-race championship, and Hulme lifted the championship trophy at the end of the year.

By 1969 Team McLaren and Can Am had become known as the ‘Bruce and Denny show.’ The series had expanded to 11 races, and Team McLaren won every race. Denny scored five victories and Bruce scored six and collected the championship silverware.

In 1970, Bruce was tragically killed while testing one of the team’s new Can Am racers at the Goodwood circuit in England. Despite their obvious grief, Team McLaren continued to race in the series, with Dan Gurney announced as the second driver alongside regular Denny Hulme. However, Gurney had to leave the team mid season due to sponsor conflicts, and was replaced by Peter Gethin, who went on to win a race, while Hulme scored six victories and won the championship.

For the 1971 season, Peter Revson replaced Peter Gethin, becoming Hulme’s new teammate. New signing Revson won the championship with five race victories, while Hulme won three of the season’s 10 races.

1972 was the last Can Am season for Team McLaren, due to the rising costs of the championship and the focus of the team moving more towards Formula 1 and Indy racing. Revson failed to score that season, while Hulme won two races to add to his two championship victories in a career that had seen the team win five championships in seven years.



McLAREN AT LE MANS

Le Mans 24-hour Grand Prix d’Endurance, the ultimate test of man and machine. A whole day of non-stop racing on the La Sarthe circuit in France, at speeds of over 320km an hour.

McLaren’s success at the event began in 1995, when the team entered the McLaren F1 GTR model. The car piloted by Frenchman Yannick Dalmas, the former Finnish Formula 1 driver JJ Lehto and Masanori Sekiya took the chequered flag and overall victory, making McLaren the first manufacturer to win the event in its inaugural year, having completed 298 laps at an average speed of 168.992 km/h.

In 1997, due to major changes in the regulations, McLaren Cars developed the F1 GTR for the 24-hour race. The changes were aimed at improving the engine, an all-new sequential transmission was introduced, and radical changes were made to the car’s aerodynamics. In addition to this was an overall reduction in weight.

The results of these changes were that the lap times improved by four seconds from the previous year and the F1 GTR piloted by Frenchmen Jean-Marc Gounon and Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Swede Anders Olofsson, went on to win the GT Category and finish second overall, completing 360 laps at an average speed of 202.993km/h.

A second GTR filled the final podium position, completing 358 laps at an average speed of 201.858kph and was piloted by Peter Kox, Roberto Ravaglia and Eric Helary.

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The McLaren Technology Centre is the corporate and production headquarters for the McLaren Group. This state of the art centre, designed by renowned architect Lord Foster, has brought together all of the Group's activities under one roof.

McLaren Technology Centre: The award winning corporate and production headquarters of the McLaren Group, the McLaren Technology Centre is a world leading facility that has integrated the majority of the Group's employees under one roof. The facility's 57,000m² of office space is located on a 50 hectare site just north of Woking, Surrey, UK . The McLaren Technology Centre includes design studios, laboratories, research and testing facilities, electronics development, machine shops and prototyping and production facilities for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One cars and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The facility also contains a state-of-the-art wind tunnel capable of accommodating 1:2 scale car models.

Since its official opening by Her Majesty The Queen on 12th May 2004, the McLaren Technology Centre has been awarded a number of architectural accolades. The Royal Institute of British Architects presented the facility with a RIBA award, an honour given to buildings that have high architectural standards and make a substantial contribution to their local environment. The facility also made it on to the short list for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize. The McLaren Technology Centre has also been awarded the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust's "Building of the Year". Other awards have included the 2005 Royal Town Planning Institutes Award for Planning for Business and the 2005 Festival Automobile International Architecture Prize.


RON DENNIS CBE - McLAREN GROUP CHAIRMAN AND CEO

"The McLaren Technology Centre is a model for the new technological optimism and a showcase of industrial architecture for the 21st century.
Together with our Partners, the McLaren Group has created a building that as well as being forward thinking in design and construction provides an environment that will motivate and influence the people who will work within it.

"Our company is all about people, we all want the company to win – and I’m not just talking about winning grands prix. I’m talking about everything we are involved in. We need highly-motivated, dedicated people, and such people can only exist if you provide them with an environment in which they can aspire to be the best. Quite simply, great facilities attract great people. That’s where the story of this project really has its roots."

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LORD FOSTER - FOSTER AND PARTNERS

"We're obviously thrilled at being involved in this project. It's one of those rare occasions when the nature, the workings and the appearance of a building really do matter, not just to those who'll work there but to those who visit.

"McLaren came to us with a number of preconceptions – not so much about what the building should look like, but more about what the spirit of the building should be, its aspirations and its social generators. I think that although neither of us knew when we first met, there was actually a natural synergy between us on a number of aspects of what our companies, in our very different fields had been trying to do.

"As architects my colleagues and I had been engaged for many years in meeting the challenge of social, technological and lifestyle change, the way they interlock, and looking at the re-evaluation of the workplace as a good place to be. In many ways, both Ron Dennis and McLaren have been an extraordinary inspiration. This inspiration has permeated down into the building itself."


http://www.mclaren.com/technologycentre/

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INTRODUCTION

McLaren is about Racing.

Our historical core business is Formula 1, the ultimate in racing, which constantly pushes the barriers of technology.

At McLaren we can directly translate our racing experience to the road, using the latest technology from Formula 1 to achieve unsurpassed levels of vehicle performance.


THE COMPANY

McLaren Automotive was established in 1989 and is renowned for its expertise in engineering and manufacturing the most definitive super sports cars in the world.

From the beginning McLaren Automotive established its own unique approach to super sports car design, combining the most advanced engineering and technology from the world of Formula 1 together with an unparalleled attention to detail, in the pursuit of the purest driving experience.


THE ROAD CARS

Embodying this philosophy, the McLaren F1 established its own unique place in super car history as the world's fastest production road car achieving a speed of 240.14 mph / 386 kph.

Described by many as the finest drivers' car ever built, the McLaren F1 excelled both on the road and the race track. The McLaren F1 claimed victory on its debut at Le Mans 24 Heures in 1995, taking four of the top five places, and its racing success continued with GT Championship titles in 1995 and 1996.

The legacy of the McLaren F1 demonstrates how McLaren Automotive aims to set the standards that others follow.

Today this vision continues with the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren offering Formula 1 technology and breathtaking performance with everyday levels of usability and comfort.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is manufactured at the McLaren Technology Centre where every car is assembled by a team dedicated to producing the very best super sports cars in the world.

CULTURE

McLaren Automotive makes road cars that are unique - in conception, in execution and ultimately, unique in performance.

In short we believe a McLaren is different from any other road car.

To achieve this means we constantly push the boundaries, through technology, passion and determination, in order to succeed.

As an organisation we only look forwards, not back, to produce the ultimate in performance. This approach is guided by three defining philosophies.


NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

Through strong self belief we have clear and singular vision to do things that others say cannot be done. In fact McLaren will only do something if there is a realistic possibility that we can be the best.

EVERYTHING FOR A REASON

As an organisation we also possess an intense functional focus on our products, where everything has a reason. It is this clarity of purpose, quality of thought as well as quality of execution that is reflected in our design principle of form that follows function.


CREATE THE UNIQUE

Finally at McLaren we always aim to create something that is entirely unique. We aim to leave a “mental aftertaste”, a distinct and unique impression of absolute awe and wonder of the road cars that we produce.

With this approach, and together with Mercedes-Benz, McLaren Automotive has become a truly integrated low volume sports car manufacturer.

We have a fully operative automotive design, development and manufacturing business with established systems and processes. This is supported by world-class integrated project management, purchasing, quality, manufacturing and logistics functions.


http://www.mclarenautomotive.com/

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The McLaren Group, based in Woking, UK, embraces a collection of niche, hi-tech companies each maximising the benefits of the global name and reputation that McLaren has established in the cutting edge technology sport of Formula 1. Through the application of the principles of total commitment, quality and excellence, the McLaren Group has established itself at the forefront of British engineering and technology.

The Group's roots lie in the partnership between the TAG (Techniques D'Avant Garde) Group and McLaren, which originated in 1981 when the McLaren Group's Chairman and CEO Ron Dennis and TAG's Mansour Ojjeh met and became friends. The TAG Group was founded in 1977 to concentrate on those sectors of industry that pioneer advanced technologies.

In 1983, TAG financed the introduction of a turbo-charged grand prix engine which made its debut that year, and the following season McLaren drivers Niki Lauda and Alain Prost dominated the Formula 1 World Championship, scoring 12 wins from 16 races. This performance enabled McLaren to win the Constructors’ World Championship and Niki Lauda to become Drivers' World Champion – the first two of 16 World Championship titles since 1983. TAG then became a major shareholder in McLaren Racing in 1984.

The McLaren Group has evolved considerably over the years and is now comprised of a number of companies operating in a range of diverse, yet related, areas: McLaren Racing (Formula 1); McLaren Electronic Systems (automotive electronic systems); McLaren Marketing (marketing services). In 2003, the businesses of McLaren Cars (high performance road cars) and McLaren Composites (advanced composite structures) were combined into a separate operating division of the Group known as McLaren Automotive Ltd. During 2004 a new business was created: McLaren Applied Technologies, which seeks to exploit in industrial and consumer applications the automotive technologies that are developed within the Group.

In addition the McLaren Group also encompasses Absolute Taste (catering), Lydden Circuit (race track) and Team McLaren (supporters' club and e-commerce business).

In January 2000, DaimlerChrysler - parent company of Mercedes-Benz, which supplies engines to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team - acquired a 40 per cent interest in the McLaren Group. Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojjeh continued to have operational management control, each owning 30 per cent of the McLaren Group.

In January 2007, the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, a wholly owned company of the Kingdom of Bahrain, acquired a 30% stake in McLaren Group. The shareholding structure of the Group is 40% DaimlerChrysler, 30% Mumtalakat Holding Company, 15% Ron Dennis and 15% TAG Group (Holdings) SA. The company will continue to be managed by its existing management team.

The McLaren Group operates from a 57,000m² Technology Centre which provides leading edge research, development and manufacturing facilities, as well as one of the world’s most advanced automotive wind tunnels.





McLaren Automotive was created in 1989 to produce leading edge cars leveraging all of the experience and technology available to the McLaren Group. The company's debut vehicle, the McLaren F1 road car, was produced in 1994 and was until recently the fastest-ever production road car, having achieved a world-record speed of 240mph / 386kph, a record held for seven years. McLaren Automotive produced a number of variants of the F1 and achieved some impressive racing results including the Le Mans 24 Heures win in 1995 and victory in the GT Championship in both 1995 and 1996. In 1999 McLaren Automotive entered into an agreement with DaimlerChrysler to design, develop and manufacture the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sports car which was launched in 2003. The SLR, which is manufactured at the McLaren Technology Centre, breaks new ground in super sports car design by combining the usability and comfort of a luxury GT with the extreme performance of the fastest supercars. McLaren Automotive continues to design and build new products such as the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition which was launched in 2006.





McLaren Electronic Systems has been an independent developer and manufacturer of automotive electronics for the professional motor sport industry for over 15 years and is an established supplier in Formula 1, IRL, World Rally, MotoGP, Nascar, ALMS and Le Mans . Its wide range of products and components is utilised by nearly 100 customers world-wide, including sales to all of the cars on the Formula 1 grid. The company provides the complete automotive control system used by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to deliver the optimum performance available from the engine and chassis. The company also provides the team with the most advanced data acquisition and telemetry system currently used in Formula 1. McLaren Electronic Systems has a team of 100 highly qualified engineers and skilled technicians. In 2006 McLaren Electronic Systems went in to partnership with the Microsoft Corporation and together they were selected as the official ECU supplier to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship for 2008, 2009 and 2010.





McLaren Marketing was formed in 1987, primarily to service the marketing and media requirements of McLaren Racing. The company's role has constantly evolved to serve the growing needs of other companies within and outside the McLaren Group, and McLaren Marketing now consists of seven departments working together: Business Development; Creative; Hospitality; Communications; Partner Management; Partner Programmes; Special Events and Filming.





McLaren Applied Technologies Limited was formed in 2004 and is the latest company in the McLaren Group. The primary objective of the company is to explore and develop commercial opportunities that leverage the technology, assets and brand strength of the McLaren Group. Typical projects are based on new product development for blue chip companies and business ventures to bring new technologies to market. In 2006, McLaren Applied Technologies formed a new joint venture company to develop and market a new generation of strategy and business decision software for senior management.





Absolute Taste provides fresh food and stylish hospitality for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team throughout the grand prix season and all catering facilities at the McLaren Technology Centre. A passion for food, service and style, creating private parties and corporate events for a prestigious client list has also established their reputation as one of London 's most sought after catering companies. In 2003 Absolute Taste Inflight was formed to provide a new, innovative and contemporary approach to in-flight hospitality for corporate, business and executive aircraft. The company expanded further in 2006 with the opening of two new cafes: The Design Café by Absolute Taste in Chelsea Harbour , London and The Apron Café by Absolute Taste at TAG Farnborough Airport .

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- http://www.mclaren.com/
- http://www.mclaren.com/technologycentre/
- http://www.mclarenautomotive.com/
- http://www.bruce-mclaren.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_F1
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McLaren
- http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/teams/5/
- http://www.mclarenmotorsport.co.nz/


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