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McLaren is one of the most historic teams in Formula 1. With 12 driver\’s championships and 8 constructors\’ championships, it is the most successful team in the history of the category, only behind Ferrari. The British team has forged some of the greatest legends in the history of Formula 1, but who have been its best drivers?
With 3 titles each, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost are McLaren\’s most successful drivers, both of whom had an iconic rivalry. Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button are other top drivers who have raced for McLaren.
McLaren and its drivers have starred in some of the most memorable moments in the history of Formula 1, achieving great successes. Without further ado, let\’s review these successes and their protagonists.
McLaren Through the Years
New Zealander Bruce McLaren, who had been a Formula 1 driver since 1959 with Cooper, founded his own team in 1963, which debuted in the category in 1966. Bruce raced as a driver during the early years of the team until his death in an accident in 1970 and achieved the first victory for McLaren in the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix.
Since its early years, the team has always been characterized by building its own chassis and buying engines from other suppliers, such as Porsche, Ford, Mercedes, or Honda. After Bruce\’s death, his trusted man and founding partner took the team forward, looking for sponsors and good engineers, and McLaren soon began to achieve its first successes, finishing third in 1972 and 1973.
In 1974, Emerson Fittipaldi won the first drivers\’ championship for the team, which also won the constructors\’ title for the first time. The second drivers\’ title came in 1976 with James Hunt as McLaren established itself as one of the best teams on the grid. The team continued to grow, and in the 1980s experienced its golden age, winning all the drivers\’ titles from 1984 to 1991 (except 1987), and winning all the constructors\’ titles except 1986 and 1987.
Niki Lauda won in 1984 and Alain Prost in 1985 and 1986. The Frenchman had a great rivalry with his teammate Ayrton Senna between 1988 and 1991. Prost won the 1989 championship while Senna won in 1988, 1990, and 1991, thanks to the powerful Honda engines.
From 1996 on, McLaren began using Mercedes engines, with whom they formed a great alliance until 2014, winning the drivers\’ titles in 1998 and 1999 with Mika Häkkinen and the 2008 title with Lewis Hamilton, as well as the constructors\’ title in 1998.
With the arrival of the hybrid era, the team has not been truly competitive again, going through Honda and Renault engines until returning to Mercedes in 2021, with whom they got their first win in the Italian GP after more than 9 years since the last one. In all these years they have only been able to fight for points and occasional podiums.
- McLaren Drivers’ Championships: 12 (1974, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2008).
- McLaren Constructors’ Championships: 8 (1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998).
McLaren Team Principals
- Bruce McLaren (1963-1970).
- Teddy Mayer (1970-1982).
- Ron Dennis (1981-2008).
- Martin Whitmarsh (2009-2013).
- Ron Dennis (2014-2016).
- Éric Boullier (2017-2018).
- Zak Brown (2018-Present).
Grand Prix Milestone Wins
| WIN | YEAR | GRAND PRIX | DRIVER |
| 1 | 1968 | Belgium Grand Prix | Bruce McLaren |
| 10 | 1974 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Emerson Fittipaldi |
| 25 | 1981 | British Grand Prix | John Watson |
| 50 | 1986 | Monaco Grand Prix | Alain Prost |
| 75 | 1989 | French Grand Prix | Alain Prost |
| 100 | 1993 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Ayrton Senna |
| 125 | 2000 | Spanish Grand Prix | Mikka Häkkinen |
| 150 | 2007 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Fernando Alonso |
| 175 | 2012 | Australian Grand Prix | Jenson Button |
| 183 | 2021 | Italian Grand Prix | Daniel Ricciardo |
The Best McLaren F1 Drivers
1. Ayrton Senna
Team Years: 1988-1993
Races with the team: 96
Team wins: 35
Team podiums: 55
Team titles: 3 (1988, 1990 & 1991)
Ayrton Senna is one of the most iconic drivers in the history of Formula 1, who created his legend during the 6 full seasons he spent with the British team. The Brazilian signed for McLaren in 1988 after some good seasons at Lotus and forged a great rivalry with his new teammate, Alain Prost.
The Brazilian took the title in 1988, while the Frenchman took revenge the following year after a dramatic season finale at Suzuka in which they collided. Prost joined Ferrari in 1990, but their rivalry continued, and history repeated itself: the two collided again at Suzuka, but this time it was Senna who took the title. In 1991, the Brazilian was unrivaled, winning his third crown for McLaren.
Two more seasons with somewhat less competitive cars, and Senna would leave in 1994 for Williams, dying in an accident in the third round, the San Marino GP. At McLaren, the Brazilian broke all kinds of records: most consecutive pole positions (8), most consecutive front row starts (24), most consecutive wins at the same GP (5 at Monaco) and most wins for McLaren at 35.
Senna is considered one of the best drivers in history, being the undisputed king of Monaco and the rain, and his period with McLaren is regarded as the team\’s golden era in Formula 1.
2. Alain Prost
Team Years: 1980, 1984-1989
Races with the team: 107
Team wins: 30
Team podiums: 63
Team titles: 3 (1985, 1986 & 1989)
Alain Prost made his Formula 1 debut at McLaren in 1980, and after three competitive seasons at Renault, the Frenchman returned to the British team in 1984, finishing runner-up to teammate Niki Lauda by just half a point.
In 1985, \”The Professor\” took his revenge, taking five wins and six more podiums to clinch the championship, and in 1986 he fought a great battle with Nigel Mansell to retain the title in the final round at Adelaide in masterful fashion.
With the arrival of Ayrton Senna at McLaren in 1988, the Frenchman and the Brazilian starred in what is probably the most iconic rivalry in Formula 1 history, with a fierce relationship. Senna won the title in 1988 and Prost in 1989 after an accident between the two at Suzuka, in one of the most controversial season finales in history.
Two seasons in this tense atmosphere were enough for Prost, who left in 1990 for Ferrari for the good of the team, although his rivalry with Senna continued the following season. History repeated itself the following year, and the two collided at Suzuka, but it was Senna who took the title.
3. Mika Häkkinen
Team Years: 1993-2001
Races with the team: 131
Team wins: 20
Team podiums: 51
Team titles: 2 (1998 & 1999)
Mika Häkkinen was the most successful McLaren driver of the post-Senna era. The Finn joined the team for the last three rounds of the 1993 season, joining Senna before his departure to Williams in 1994.
For the next few seasons, McLaren had no winning cars, far behind the dominant Williams and Benetton. Häkkinen could only aim for podiums, establishing himself as one of the best drivers on the grid, with good results despite his car, and his first victory with the team came in the last race of 1997, the European GP.
In 1998, the Finn finally had a competitive car and was in a great fight with Michael Schumacher\’s Ferrari for the title. Häkkinen, with 8 wins and 3 more podiums, took the championship by 14 points. The following year the duel between the two was repeated until Schumacher suffered a serious accident at the British GP in mid-season that sidelined him for a few months.
His teammate, Eddie Irvine took over from him, and fought with dignity against Häkkinen until the last round for the title, with the Finn revalidating the championship. With the turn of the century came Ferrari\’s domination, leaving no options for the other teams. Häkkinen was runner-up in 2000, and in 2001 he scored 2 more victories for McLaren before finally retiring from the category.
4. Lewis Hamilton
Team Years: 2007-2012
Races with the team: 110
Team wins: 21
Team podiums: 49
Team titles: 1 (2008)
Lewis Hamilton belonged to McLaren\’s youth academy from a very young age and worked his way up through the lower categories until he made his Formula 1 debut with the British team in 2007. Hamilton was the driver who came closest to the title in his debut year, forging a great fight with teammate Fernando Alonso, in which both came within one point of the championship.
The Briton scored 4 wins and 8 more podiums in his first year and proved that he was world champion material, being on par with two-time world champion Alonso. The following year, with Alonso out of the team, the Brit fought against Felipe Massa\’s Ferrari for the title, taking the crown after one of the most epic season finales in history.
Hamilton spent four more seasons with McLaren, but the team failed to build a truly winning car. The Briton scored 12 more wins and a good amount of podiums, getting the most out of his car before leaving for Mercedes in 2013. As of today, Hamilton is McLaren\’s last world champion.
5. Niki Lauda
Team Years: 1982-1985
Races with the team: 58
Team wins: 8
Team podiums: 15
Team titles: 1 (1984)
After winning 2 world championships, Niki Lauda retired from Formula 1 for 2 years, and in 1982 he returned to the category with McLaren, where he drove for 4 seasons before finally retiring. 1982 and 1983 were difficult seasons for the team, in which the Austrian could only achieve 2 victories.
However, in 1984 came his great season with McLaren, in which he fought for the title with his new teammate Alain Prost until the end. The Frenchman was faster in qualifying, but Lauda took advantage of his experience to be the fastest in the races. 5 victories and 4 more podiums were enough for the Austrian to win the title by only half a point ahead of Prost.
The following year Prost was unbeatable and took the title, while Lauda could only finish tenth in the championship with one victory. That was the turning point for the Austrian to decide to hang up his helmet for good.
6. James Hunt
Team Years: 1976-1978
Races with the team: 49
Team wins: 9
Team podiums: 14
Team titles: 1 (1976)
James Hunt is one of the most iconic drivers in Formula 1 history. The blond-haired, blue-eyed playboy, ambassador of sex, drugs, and alcohol joined McLaren at the end of 1975 to replace Emerson Fittipaldi after 3 good seasons with the humble Hesketh team in which he achieved some good podiums and a win.
The 1976 season is one of the most remembered in history for the great fight between James Hunt and Niki Lauda\’s Ferrari. Hunt did not start the season in the best way, with 4 retirements in the first 6 races, but he went from strength to strength.
Lauda missed some races due to his serious accident at the Nürburgring, returning for the last two rounds. Hunt took 5 wins in the second half of the season, and his great driving in the heavy rain at the final round at Suzuka meant he was able to clinch the title by a single point, and thus move into the Olympus of Formula 1 drivers.
Two more uncompetitive seasons and Hunt ended his short racing career of only 7 years, as the Briton had already achieved what he wanted, the world championship.
7. Emerson Fittipaldi
Team Years: 1974-1975
Races with the team: 28
Team wins: 5
Team podiums: 13
Team titles: 1 (1974)
Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi had already made his mark in Formula 1 during his early years in the category, winning the championship in 1972 with Lotus. After finishing runner-up in 1973, Fittipaldi made the surprising move to McLaren in 1974.
Fittipaldi fought that season with the Ferraris of Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni, who were super-fast, especially in the race, and Jody Scheckter also joined the fight. Lauda\’s misfortunes, who accumulated 5 retirements in the last 5 races left him with no chance of challenging for the title.
Fittipaldi took his third win of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix and went into the final round tied on points with Regazzoni, while Scheckter still had a chance. Neither Regazzoni nor Scheckter scored, so a fourth-place finish was enough for Fittipaldi to take the title with McLaren.
The following season, Fittipaldi was also competitive, being runner-up with 2 wins and 4 more podiums, but could do nothing against Lauda\’s dominant Ferrari. The Brazilian left the team at the end of 1975 to join his brother\’s new team, never again fighting for championships.
8. David Coulthard
Team Years: 1996-2004
Races with the team: 150
Team wins: 12
Team podiums: 51
Team titles: 0
David Coulthard is one of the most consistent drivers in the history of Formula 1, being in the fight for the title up to 5 times. With 9 seasons at McLaren, he is their longest-serving driver, and the fifth with the most wins for the team. Coulthard joined McLaren in 1996 after impressing during his early years with Williams and formed a great partnership with Mika Häkkinen.
In 1996, Häkkinen beat him in the championship, but in 1997 and 1998 it was Coulthard who finished ahead, being third in both championships and taking the first two wins for McLaren in 3 years, winning the 1997 Australian and Italian Grands Prix.
In 1998 and 1999, McLaren had a winning car, although this time it was Häkkinen who took the lead of the team, taking on Ferrari and winning both championships, while Coulthard could only be third and fourth respectively, with 3 wins.
The turn of the millennium made Ferrari the new dominator of the sport, and in the 2000 season, Häkkinen was runner-up and Coulthard third, while in 2001 it was the Scotsman who was runner-up, proving he was on a par with the Finn. Three less competitive seasons and just two more wins and Coulthard left McLaren to join Red Bull\’s new Formula 1 project.
9. Kimi Räikkönen
Team Years: 2002-2006
Races with the team: 87
Team wins: 9
Team podiums: 36
Team titles: 0
After a spectacular debut season with Sauber in 2001, Kimi Räikkönen signed for McLaren in 2002, and although he did not win a title with the team, the Finn experienced his prime years with them, establishing himself as one of the fastest drivers of the new generation.
In 2003 came Räikkönen\’s first win with McLaren, at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Finnish driver got the most out of his car and was super-fast, being the only one who could face the dominant Ferrari of Michael Schumacher, obtaining 10 podiums in total. The great consistency of the Finnish driver allowed him to dispute the title until the end, finishing only 2 points behind the Kaiser.
In 2004 the team declined in performance, although Räikkönen was still able to take a fantastic victory at the Belgian Grand Prix despite a gearbox glitch. The 2005 regulation change again elevated McLaren, which built the fastest car, but which was extremely unreliable. Despite 7 wins, Räikkonen could only finish second, behind Fernando Alonso\’s Renault.
In 2006 McLaren went down again, only achieving podiums, and the Finn signed for Ferrari for 2007 to replace Schumacher, obtaining the long-awaited title in his first season in red.
10. Jenson Button
Team Years: 2010-2016, 2017 (one-off)
Races with the team: 136
Team wins: 8
Team podiums: 25
Team titles: 0
After unexpectedly winning the title with Brawn GP in 2009, Jenson Button moved to McLaren in 2010, where he formed a great team with Lewis Hamilton. During the 3 years they were teammates, Hamilton beat Button in the championship in 2010 and 2012 and scored more wins, but Button scored more points during that stint.
Button achieved 8 wins in total, standing out for his great consistency in the race, and his best year was 2011, in which he was runner-up behind Sebastian Vettel\’s dominant Red Bull, while Hamilton could only finish fifth.
After Hamilton\’s departure at the end of 2012, the team became uncompetitive, which was further exacerbated by the arrival of the hybrid era in 2014 and the switch to Honda engines in 2015.
Button scored his last podium finish at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, and for the following seasons, in which his teammate was Fernando Alonso, the team dropped to the back of the grid, with both world champions barely able to fight for points. 2 such seasons were enough for Button, who retired at the end of 2016, although he did take part in the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix as a replacement for Alonso.
11. Bruce McLaren
Team Years: 1966-1970
Races with the team: 37
Team wins: 1
Team podiums: 7
Team titles: 0
We could not forget the man who started it all: Bruce McLaren. Bruce raced in Formula 1 from 1959 to 1965 with Cooper, scoring numerous podium finishes and 3 victories, becoming at 22 years and 80 days old the youngest Grand Prix winner in history after winning the 1959 US GP.
In 1966 he started racing with his own team, which soon rose significantly in the category, and in 1968 the New Zealander won the Belgian Grand Prix, becoming only the second person after Jack Brabham to win a race with his own car. Bruce took 2 more podiums in 1968, and in 1969 he was third in the championship after 3 podiums.
In 1970 he scored one last podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix, and shortly after passed away after an accident at the Goodwood circuit in England while testing the McLaren M8D. Bruce died, but he left a great legacy in Formula 1 that still lives on today.
His trusted man and founding partner, Teddy Mayer, took the reins of the team after Bruce\’s death, turning it into a truly winning team during the 1970s.
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Conclusion
McLaren was founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren and debuted in Formula 1 in 1966. The team soon became competitive, having its first successes during the 70s, and living its golden era in the 80s and 90s.
With some more successes during the 2000s, McLaren has become the second most successful team in Formula 1 history, with 12 constructors\’ and 8 drivers\’ championships. Some of the best drivers in history have raced for the British team, such as Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton, and Mika Häkkinen.
