 Jenson Button driving the MP4-28 at theMalaysian Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||||
| Designers | Neil Oatley(Executive Engineer) Paddy Lowe(Technical Director) Tim Goss(Engineering Director) Mark Williams(Head of Vehicle Engineering) Mark Ingham(Head of Vehicle Design) Sam Purvis(Project Leader) Marcin Budkowski(Head of Aerodynamics) Doug McKiernan(Chief Aerodynamicist) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | McLaren MP4-27 | ||||||||||
| Successor | McLaren MP4-29 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications[1][2] | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Mouldedcarbon fibre composite monocoque incorporating front and side impact structures with honeycomb structure | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pullrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement. KONI dampers | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | as front | ||||||||||
| Length | 5,080 mm (200 in) | ||||||||||
| Width | 1,800 mm (71 in) | ||||||||||
| Height | 950 mm (37 in) | ||||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz FO 108F 2.4 L (146 cu in)V8 (90°).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 | ||||||||||
| Weight | 642 kg (1,415 lb) (including driver)[3] | ||||||||||
| Fuel | ExxonMobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Mobil Synergy Fuel System Mobil 1 lubrication | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero dry slick andPirelli Cinturato treaded intermediate and wet tyres[4] Enkei 13" magnesium racing wheels | ||||||||||
| Clutch | AP Racing electro-hydraulically operated, carbon multi-plate | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 5. Jenson Button[5]6.  Sergio Pérez[6] | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2013 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
TheMcLaren MP4-28[7] is aFormula Oneracing car designed and built by theMcLaren team for use in the2013 Formula One season. The chassis was designed byPaddy Lowe,[8]Neil Oatley,Tim Goss, Mark Ingham andMarcin Budkowski and was powered by a customerMercedes-Benz engine. It was driven by2009World ChampionJenson Button andSergio Pérez,[5][6] the latter joining the team afterLewis Hamilton moved toMercedes.[9] The car was launched on 31 January 2013,[7][10] as part of the team's fiftieth anniversary celebrations.[11]
The MP4-28 resulted in McLaren's worst Formula 1 performance for 33 years. It was their first season without finishing on the podium since 1980, and they never qualified in the top five - their worst since 1983. It was also the team's first season without a win since 2006 when the team raced with theMP4-21.[12] This was also the last McLaren to feature title sponsorship from telecommunications companyVodafone on the livery as this sponsorship arrangement would end at the end of the season thus concluding a partnership that began in2007 on theMP4-22.[13]
The MP4-28 features significant revisions compared to the MP4-27 as the team felt that the MP4-27 had reached the end of its development cycle, and that starting over would give the MP4-28 a wider scope for development.[14] A pullrod front suspension similar to that of theFerrari F2012 was introduced, the sidepods were revised to improve airflow over the rear of the car, while the rear suspension geometry was reconfigured to be more aerodynamic whilst incorporating a wishbone system designed to manage rear tyre wear by adding camber to the rear wheels as the speed increases, and relax as the car decelerates.[15] The car's centre of gravity was altered by reducing the weight of the rollhoop and engine cover, allowing the team to raise the car's nose. The profile of the chassis was streamlined with the addition of a "vanity plate" to cover the "stepped" design seen throughout 2012.[1] By contrast, theLotus E21 was launched without a vanity plate, as the team felt that it was a purely cosmetic feature that added unnecessary weight;[16] McLaren, on the other hand, described the weight change and aerodynamic benefits as a "non-issue".[1]
By the team's own admission, the launch version of the MP4-28 contained some parts—including the exhaust, floor and front wing assembly—that had been carried over from its predecessor, theMP4-27, but new parts would be added throughout the winter testing programme. Despite the outward similarities to the MP4-27,Jenson Button described the internal design of the MP4-28 as having been completely re-worked.[17]
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The MP4-28 displayed significant speed during winter testing atJerez de la Frontera, leading to speculation that the car would be an early championship contender. However, it was soon discovered that this speed was a result of a suspension component being incorrectly fitted onJenson Button's car, which created an extremely low ride height that in turn led to the fast lap times. The team was forced to install the offending part properly as continuing to run the car in such a configuration would prove to be impossible.[18]
The McLaren MP4-28 faced a difficult debut inAustralia, with the team admitting that they did not truly understand the way the car behaved under race conditions.[19] Button qualified in tenth place, whilst Pérez started in fifteenth. Button and Pérez went on to finish the race in ninth and eleventh place respectively, on the lead lap, but some eighty seconds behind race winnerKimi Räikkönen.[20] Button was critical of the car, claiming that it could not win a Grand Prix without extensive development work.[21] Following the race, team principalMartin Whitmarsh described his willingness to abandon the MP4-28 altogether and instead revert to using theMcLaren MP4-27 if the team felt they could not solve the MP4-28's issues,[22] but that the team's preference was to concentrate on developing the MP4-28 for the time being.[23][24]
At the next race inMalaysia, the team expressed confidence that they could improve the car, claiming that the bumpy nature of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit had exaggerated the car's flaws, and so were expecting the smoother surface of theSepang circuit to be much more representative of the car's performance.[25] Jenson Button qualified eighth and briefly led the race, until a mistake during his final pit stop cost him several positions. The team decided to retire the car instead of continue, and Button was ultimately classified seventeenth as he had completed 90% of the race distance.[26] Sergio Pérez qualified tenth and finished ninth overall, setting the fastest lap time after making an unscheduled stop late in the race. The team recovered inChina,[27] with Button finishing fifth overall and the ten points he received elevating the team from seventh to fifth place in the World Constructors' Championship, drawing level withForce India. Both Button and Pérez scored points at theBahrain Grand Prix,[28] ahead of the car's first major updates inSpain. Despite the team playing down the expected gains from the upgrades,[29] the package nevertheless proved to be disappointing,[30] and McLaren elected to postpone the introduction of some parts amid concerns about their legality.[31] Button and Pérez finished the race in eighth and ninth place respectively, with Button describing the team's performances as being "a bit embarrassing" and admitting that whatever gains the team had made had been marginalised by the development schedules of other teams, who had also used the race to introduce their first major updates for the season.[32] Commentators noted that during the race, Button's fastest lap time was just five hundredths of a second faster thanMax Chilton's best lap time set in theMarussia MR02,[33] a car that qualified on the back row of the grid for the race.[34]
After securing a sixth-place finish inMonaco,[35] the team faced their most difficult race of the season inCanada, with Pérez and Button finishing in eleventh and twelfth place respectively,[36] bringing about an end to their record of sixty-four consecutive points finishes; the last time McLaren had failed to score a points finish was at the2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The team once again failed to score points in theBritish Grand Prix, with Button achieving a lowly thirteenth place and Pérez being classified twentieth after falling victim to an explosive tyre puncture late in the race.[37] The team returned to the points inGermany, with Button finishing sixth and Pérez eighth.[38] The result moved the team to within ten points ofForce India in the World Constructors' Championship. Button was critical ofCaterham driversCharles Pic andGiedo van der Garde, accusing them of being too slow when moving aside as he lapped them and costing him a fifth-place finish by allowingLewis Hamilton to catch and pass him on the last lap.[39]
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At theIndian GP, Pérez recorded a season-best 5th-place finished just four seconds shy of the podium, a result that left him "extremely satisfied". Button finished in 14th place.[40]
After theBrazilian Grand Prix, McLaren became the first ever team to have classified both cars at every race of the season, despite Pérez having not finished two races and Button having retired in Malaysia, repeating that feat inMCL38 in2024.[41]
Due to the team deeming his performance inadequate, Pérez left the team and joinedForce India, withKevin Magnussen being named as his replacement.[42]
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This was the last McLaren Formula One car to featureVodafone as their main sponsor since the deal began in 2007. McLaren usedVodafone logos in all but two races. It was replaced byZain at theBahrain Grand Prix, and byVerizon at theUnited States Grand Prix. McLaren used sponsorship ofTooned, a CGI animated series based on the team, untilBahrain Grand Prix.
Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, 7-timeNASCAR Cup Series championJimmie Johnson drove the MP4-28 inMCL33 livery at theBahrain International Circuit.
In 2022, 1978 World Drivers' ChampionMario Andretti demonstrated the MP4-28 inMCL36 livery at theLaguna Seca circuit.
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | Grands Prix | Points | WCC | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP | MON | CAN | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | KOR | JPN | IND | ABU | USA | BRA | ||||||||
| 2013 | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | Mercedes-Benz FO 108F | P | Jenson Button | 9 | 17† | 5 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 122 | 5th | |
| Sergio Pérez | 11 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 16† | 11 | 20† | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 6 | |||||||
| Sources:[43] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed greater than 90% of the race distance.
It's all a long way from that small south London lock-up back in 1963. But Bruce wouldn't wish for us to merely look backwards without looking forwards, too. Accordingly, echoes of our past will reverberate throughout a series of unique events and celebrations to be held across our anniversary year. From the McLaren 50 logos we'll proudly sport on our team shirts, through our specially commissioned heritage video features, to the launch of our new MP4-28 Formula 1 car with Jenson Button and Sergio Perez on January 31st, every lap, every corner, every mile and every road we take will be an opportunity to revel in McLaren's present while recalling our 50-year past.
Whitmarsh did not take the opportunity to dispel stories that the team may yet revert to last year's car. 'I can categorically kill it off – for the time being. We're making progress. We're working hard to understand this car, to improve and develop it and turn it into a race winning car.'
