McLaren MP4/1
- Constructor
- mclaren
- Years
- 1981–1983
- Designers
- John Barnard, Alan Jenkins, Steve Nichols
- Engine
- Ford Cosworth DFV V8
- Configuration
- 90-degree V8, 2993 cc, naturally aspirated
- Power
- 510 bhp (510 bhp at 11,000 rpm; a TAG-Porsche turbo V6 of about 700 bhp was fitted late in 1983)
- Chassis
- carbon-fibre composite monocoque
- Gearbox
- McLaren/Hewland FGA 400 5-speed manual
- Suspension
- —
- Brakes
- disc
- Weight
- —
- Wheelbase
- —
- Tyres
- Michelin
- Races
- 30
- Wins
- 5
- Poles
- 0
- Drivers' titles
- 0
- Constructors' titles
- 0
- Specification confidence
- high
Aluminium is not stiff enough to carry ground-effect loads; build the tub out of carbon fibre instead
The first carbon-fibre composite monocoque to race in Formula One
Barnard got the idea from Rolls-Royce engineers using carbon fibre in turbofan blades, and had the tub built by Hercules Aerospace in Utah because nobody in motor racing could make one. The paddock thought it would shatter. Then John Watson crashed heavily at Monza in 1981, the car broke apart around a tub that stayed intact, and he walked away. Every car on the grid was carbon-fibre within a few years, and it is the single largest reason drivers stopped dying.
43 races, 6 wins. No championships - its importance is structural, not competitive.