 Lewis Hamilton driving the MP4-24 at theSpanish Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren Racing | ||||||||||
| Designers | Neil Oatley(Executive Engineer) Paddy Lowe(Engineering Director) Pat Fry(Chief Engineer) Mark Williams(Head of Vehicle Engineering) Andrew Bailey(Head of Vehicle Design) Rob Taylor(Principal Design Engineer) Simon Lacey(Head of Aerodynamics) Doug McKiernan(Chief Aerodynamicist) John Sutton(KERS Project Leader) Andy Cowell(Engineering Director - Mercedes) Axel Wendorff(Chief Engineer, Engine - Mercedes) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | McLaren MP4-23 | ||||||||||
| Successor | McLaren MP4-25 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Mouldedcarbon fibre /aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures and integral safety fuel cell. | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | As front. | ||||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-BenzFO 108W 2.4 L (146 cu in)V8.Naturally aspirated, 18,000 RPM limited, withKERS,mid-mounted. | ||||||||||
| Transmission | McLaren 7-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamlesssemi-automatic paddle shift with epicyclic differential and multi-plate limited slip clutch | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Mobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) | ||||||||||
| Lubricants | Mobil 1 | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Bridgestone Potenza Enkei wheels | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 1. Lewis Hamilton2.  Heikki Kovalainen | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2009 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 2009 Singapore Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
TheMcLaren MP4-24 is aFormula One racing car used byMcLaren-Mercedes during the2009 Formula One season. The chassis was designed byPaddy Lowe,Neil Oatley,Pat Fry, Andrew Bailey andSimon Lacey withAndy Cowell designing the bespokeMercedes-Benz engine which, although also used byForce India andBrawn GP, was designed with the intention of fitting in the chassis of the MP4-24.
It was revealed at McLaren's headquarters inWoking, United Kingdom on 16 January 2009.[2] The following day, team test driverPedro de la Rosa gave the MP4-24 its first test run at theAutódromo Internacional do Algarve.[3]
In testing, the MP4-24 was proven slower than its rivals due to aerodynamic problems, withLewis Hamilton andHeikki Kovalainen repeatedly at the bottom of the timesheets. The car came under much scrutiny from team members and other critics alike.Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal, said the team "had not done a good enough job". He also went on to say "We have an underdeveloped car, we do not have sufficient aerodynamic downforce and we would like to focus on rectifying that as quickly as we can."[4]
The car was originally designed with a conventionaldiffuser. The MP4-24 was fitted with a modified diffuser based on similar principles to thedouble-decker designs at the Malaysian Grand Prix after the FIA confirmed that such components were legal, after several teams had asked the FIA to clarify the matter.
After theBritish Grand Prix, the midpoint of the 2009 season, McLaren had scored just 13 Constructor's World Championship points with Hamilton scoring 9 and Kovalainen 4. By the same point in 2008 they had scored 72 points and Hamilton was jointly leading the Driver's World Championship withFelipe Massa on 48 points. Hamilton had made public calls to scrap the car and a former team owner turned commentatorEddie Jordan had proclaimed it as "possibly the worst car McLaren have ever designed".[5]
The impact of upgrades to Hamilton's car for the next race at theNürburgring for theGerman Grand Prix were positive and saw him qualify in 5th, with Kovalainen in 6th place. However, a collision with Mark Webber'sRed Bull at the first corner punctured a tyre and damaged the undertray of the car which effectively ended any chance of competing for a points scoring position, and Hamilton finished the race in 18th and last place with Kovalainen scraping into the points in 8th.[6]
There was a 2-week break between Germany and the next round atHungary by which time both cars had been upgraded to the new specification. Again, the weekend started well with both cars showing good pace and Hamilton qualified 4th and Kovalainen 6th.[7] This time Hamilton was able to demonstrate the true effectiveness of the upgraded car by winning the race in convincing style.[8] Acknowledging his previous remarks live on the BBC after the race,Eddie Jordan expressed his amazement at how McLaren had managed to turn the car into a race winner. Despite disappointing results atSpa andMonza, Hamilton claimed his second win of the year under the lights ofSingapore's Marina Bay from pole position, and a pair of third places inSuzuka andSão Paulo helped McLaren clinch third place in the Constructors championship with 71 points, pipping rivalsFerrari by 1 point.
The MP4-24 was also the lastMcLarenFormula One car to hold main factory works team status toMercedes-Benz, asMcLaren were demoted toMercedes F1's customer team in 2010 followingMercedes-Benz andDaimler AG's buyout ofBrawn GP in late 2009, and thus theMercedes-Benz F1 full-factory constructor team returned toFormula One in 2010. The MP4-24 was succeeded by theMP4-25.
The livery was similar with two previous seasons; chrome paint and red accents from their title sponsorVodafone. This was the final year forSantander as they would move to Ferrari for the following season.
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | MercedesFO108WV8 | B | AUS | MAL‡ | CHN | BHR | ESP | MON | TUR | GBR | GER | HUN | EUR | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | BRA | ABU | 71 | 3rd | |
| Hamilton | DSQ | 7 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 12† | 1 | 3 | 3 | Ret | ||||||
| Kovalainen | Ret | Ret | 5 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 14 | Ret | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
† Driver failed to finish, but was classified as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed.
