McLaren Racing

History

McLaren Racing is a British motor racing team based in Woking, England. The team was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in 1963, and has been a part of Formula 1 every year since 1966.

Bruce McLaren passed away in 1970, but his legacy lived on as the team went on to win its first F1 World Championship in 1974 with Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel. Another championship followed in 1976 with James Hunt behind the wheel.

The team struggled in the 1980s, but a takeover by Ron Dennis reinvigorated the outfit and they became a dominant force in F1 from 1984 to the early 1990s, with Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna all contributing to the team's championship wins.

McLaren switched engine partners from Honda to Mercedes in 1995 and went on to win two more championships in 1998 and 1999, with Mika Hakkinen taking the drivers' title both years.

The team was involved in a scandal in 2007 over alleged spying on rival Ferrari and was given a record fine of $100 million. Despite this setback, Lewis Hamilton went on to win the drivers' title for McLaren in 2008.

McLaren's relationship with Mercedes came to an end in 2014 and they reunited with Honda for the first time since 1992, but the partnership was not as successful as in their previous stint.

The team switched to Renault power in 2018, but the results were not up to expectations, leading to the departures of both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.

Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris replaced them and, with the addition of former Porsche endurance boss Andreas Seidl, the team showed steady improvement, with Sainz taking the team's first podium since 2012 in 2019.

In 2020, McLaren continued to improve, with Norris and Sainz taking podium finishes and the team finishing third in the World Constructors' Championship. Daniel Ricciardo replaced Sainz in 2021 after McLaren resumed their relationship with Mercedes.

Norris had strong seasons in 2021 taking four podium finishes while Ricciardo's transition to his new car proved to be a challenge, as he struggled to adapt and couldn't match the pace of his teammate.

Norris and Ricciardo remained with McLaren for the 2022 season, but both drivers faced challenges at the start of the season due to brake issues and illness.

Despite these setbacks, the team improved as the season went on, with Norris finishing on the podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Oscar Piastri for the 2023 and he moved on to serve as a reserve driver for Red Bull.