![]() ![]() The car had the luxury of being able to modulate boost, but with a fuel tank allowance of only 150 litres (naturally aspirated cars were unlimited) it meant that the team would have to go into extreme fuel conservation to get to the end of a race.Īlthough there was speculation that Honda would introduce their V10 engine during 1988, Ron Dennis confirmed during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza that racing the V10 was never part of the plan for 1988. Over a race distance, the MP4/4 would suffer a significant power deficit compared to its naturally aspirated rivals. Steve Nichols went ahead with the design of the car on a pure turbo engine basis, which put the team at a potential disadvantage to their rivals.ġ988 was a transition year prior to a naturally aspirated-only formula in 1989 and the regulations were framed to reward those teams that had already made the switch. 1988 was due to be the last year for the turbo engines before they were banned, so most teams were making a concerted effort to establish themselves with naturally aspirated cars. Team boss Ron Dennis had previously tried to secure Honda engines for his Formula 2 team and welcomed the Japanese company after four successful years with the TAG engines. With the engines coming at the expense of Williams (who had won the previous two Constructors' Championships from McLaren), a strong 1988 was possible. The car was good enough to finish second in the Constructors’ Championship, secure the services of Ayrton Senna and persuade Honda to switch its engine supply deal from Williams to McLaren for the following season.įor 1988 McLaren had secured the use of the 1.5L V6 Honda turbo engines which since late in the 1985 season had been the best engine in Formula One. The Steve Nichols designed McLaren MP4/3- TAG won three races with Prost finishing fourth in the drivers' championship, Prost's win in Portugal was cause for celebration as it was the Frenchman's 28th career win, taking him past the previous record of 27 wins by triple World Champion Jackie Stewart. ![]() In 1987 it was becoming increasingly difficult to compete with major manufacturer-backed teams using, effectively, a privateer engine financed in-house by TAG and built by Porsche. The Honda-powered MP4/4 is one of the most dominant Formula One cars ever built, winning all but one race and claiming all but one pole position in the 1988 season. Honda had made the Constructors' Championship-winning engines of 19, and for 1988 they switched partners from Williams to McLaren, who had struggled with their dated TAG- Porsche engines. Gordon Murray, as Technical Director, had the role of liaising between the drawing office and production. The design of the car was led by American engineer Steve Nichols, the full responsibility for the design of the chassis having been conferred on him by Ron Dennis. Powered by Honda's RA168E 1.5-litre V6- turbo engine and driven by teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the car competed during the 1988 Formula One season. The McLaren MP4/4, also known as the McLaren-Honda MP4/4, is one of the most successful Formula One car designs of all time. Honda RA168E, 1,494 cc (91.2 cu in), 80° turbocharged V6 (2.5 Bar limited), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted ![]() Osamu Goto (Chief Engine Designer (Honda))ĭouble wishbones, pull-rod actuated coil springs and dampersĭouble wishbones, rocker-arm actuated coil springs and dampers
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