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Technology in race cars (41): McLaren MP4/1 - Black magic

Name: McLaren MP4/1 1981
Brand: McLaren

Created on January 4, 2024

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Stuart Adams

Archiv: Gerhard Schütz

JEP/Silverstone Classic

Quirin Schön

Daniel Reinhard

Stuart Adams

Archiv: Gerhard Schütz

JEP/Silverstone Classic

Quirin Schön

McLaren MP4/1 (1982) in the "Masters Racing Legends" class - Brands Hatch Masters Historic Festival 2022

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Mc Laren MP4/1 (1981) - Carbon fiber in tough racing conditions

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Mc Laren MP4/1 (1981) - John Watson won at Silverstone in 1981, the first victory for a carbon fiber monocoque in Formula 1. In Monza, he probably survived a heavy crash thanks to the new material.

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Mc Laren MP4/1 (1981) - Mc Laren MP4/1 front end in carbon fiber, internal springs

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Mc Laren MP4/1 (1981) - Removable positive molds made of aluminum

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Mc Laren MP4/1 (1981) - Internal suspension struts also on the rear axle. This allowed the air to flow out of the side Venturi ducts more freely. The flattened exhaust pipes did not prove their worth

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Mc Laren MP4/1 (1981) - Chassis made of carbon fiber - many times stiffer and at the same time lighter than anything that had ever been built before. With the same strength as a steel chassis, the weight is only a third of what it was before

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McLaren MP4/1 (1981) in the Masters Racing Legends Formula One Cars 66-85 racing series - Austrian Historic 2022

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McLaren Mp4/1 (1982) - at the Masters Historic Festival 2021 - in the Masters Historic Formula One category

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McLaren MP4/1 (1982) - AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2022

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McLaren MP4/1 (1982) - Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022

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McLaren MP4/1 (1982) - Field "F1" - Masters Historic Festival Brands Hatch 2023

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McLaren MP4/1 (1982) - Brands Hatch Masters Historic Festival 2019 - FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship

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McLaren MP4/1 (1981) - Steve Hartley (GB) at the Silverstone Classic

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Summary

McLaren was the first team to start with a carbon fiber chassis in 1981. The "black magic" had several advantages over other materials. Not only did the driving and aerodynamics benefit from the new material, but driver safety also improved significantly thanks to the new material.

This article contains the following chapters

History 1: Honeycomb sandwich
Prehistory 2: Epoxy resin-impregnated glass fiber fabric ("plastic")
Prehistory 3: Carbon fiber parts
In search of new material
Rescue from the McLaren crisis: the MP4/1
Production of the chassis
Accident safety

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The years 1958 to 1981 were the most creative in the history of racing technology. This series portrays the most innovative, pioneering and exotic designs of Formula 1, Indy Cars, sports cars and Can-Am, and at the same time traces the major lines of development that still have an impact today. Carbon fiber: The magic word of Formula 1 in the 1980s! Why did this aerospace technology spread so quickly in racing at that time? The surprising answer: because of aerodynamics. Since Lotus had successfully introduced the ground effect in 1977, the downforce values had increased so much that aluminum chassis were no longer stiff enough to absorb the forces - especially as the chassis had to be built as narrow as possible in order to give the side channels with the wing profiles close to the ground as much width as possible.

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