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With 12 Drivers’ Championships and 8 Constructors’ Championships, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is one of the most successful teams in the history of Formula 1™
'; ?> Winning is part of the culture at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Since first entering Formula 1™, the team has been victorious in one out of every four of the races it has competed in. Just like Mobil 1, though, the racing team is always looking ahead to the next challenge.
With more than 170 wins to its name, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes knows what it takes to succeed in Formula 1™.
It has been ever-present in the sport since 1966, when Bruce McLaren debuted for his eponymous racing team at the Monaco Grand Prix. His race was ended by an oil leak, but just two seasons later, the team had secured its first championship victory in Belgium.
Continuous improvement and innovation – signature values of the team both then and now – resulted in winning the Drivers’ Championship in 1974 with Emerson Fittipaldi, and again in 1976 with James Hunt.
In 1981, McLaren merged with Ron Dennis’s Project Four Racing, and he took over as team principal, later taking full control after buying out other shareholders.
Under Dennis, the team enjoyed an incredibly successful period, with drivers Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost taking seven Drivers’ Championships between 1984-1991. The team notched up six Constructor’s Championships during this era.
Following a handful of winless seasons, McLaren returned to form in style in 1998 with another Constructors’ title and two Drivers’ Championships in 1998 and 1999, thanks to Mika Hakkinen in the cockpit and highly-rated car designer Adrian Newey behind the scenes.
Lewis Hamilton won the team’s latest world title in 2008, and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes remain consistent contenders at the front of the grid.
In 2009, Ron Dennis handed the role of team principal to Martin Whitmarsh. In 2012 and beyond, the aim of the team is always the same: to win.
CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIPS:
1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIPS:
1974, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2008