McLaren MP4/11
 | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Neil Oatley | ||||||||
| Predecessor | MP4/10C | ||||||||
| Successor | MP4/12 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | inboard spring/damper operated by pushrod bellcrank/unequal-length wishbones | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | inboard spring/damper operated by pushrod bellcrank/unequal-length wishbones | ||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz FO110/3 75-degree V10 | ||||||||
| Transmission | McLaren six-speed longitudinal semi-automatic | ||||||||
| Fuel | Mobil 1 | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Marlboro McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |
7.  Mika Häkkinen8.  David Coulthard | ||||||||
| Debut | 1996 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The McLaren MP4/11 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the 1996 Formula One season. It was driven by Mika Häkkinen, who was in his third full season with the team, and David Coulthard, who moved from Williams.
McLaren had endured a disappointing year with the cars beset by handling and reliability problems in the team's first year in partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The second year of the arrangement was far more productive with both performance and reliability improved, but the team had yet to make the serious breakthrough necessary to challenge the "Big Three" of Williams, Ferrari and Benetton.
The car's best result came at the Monaco GP, with Coulthard finishing a close second to Olivier Panis' Ligier at the end of a chaotic race. However, the Scotsman was outscored and generally outpaced by his Finnish team-mate.
The car was developed throughout the season, with improvements initiated to eradicate an initial handling imbalance in time for Coulthard to lead the first 19 laps of the San Marino GP. A "B" version of the chassis was developed for Silverstone, and Häkkinen responded with four podium finishes from then until the end of the season.
1996 was also notable for McLaren losing its long-term Marlboro sponsorship to Ferrari, but the team responded by recruiting rival brand West.
The team eventually finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, with 49 points.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | McLaren | Mercedes V10 | G | AUS | BRA | ARG | EUR | SMR | MON | ESP | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | JPN | 49 | 4th | |
| Mika Häkkinen | 5 | 4 | Ret | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | Ret | 4 | 3 | 3 | Ret | 3 | ||||||
| David Coulthard | Ret | Ret | 7 | 3 | Ret | 2 | Ret | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 8 |
References
- Henry, Alan (ed) (1996). AUTOCOURSE 1996-97. Hazleton Publishing. pp. 64–67. ISBN 1-874557-91-8.
| |||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
| |||||