1998 McLaren MP4/13

The MP4-13 won nine overall victories in 1998 and earned the World Constcturs' Championship for McLaren. Equipped with a Mercedes-Benz engine, it was narrower than its predecessor and initially had a uniquely independent braking system for each wheel. The team drivers included Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, with Hakkinen scoring eight victories, earning his first Drivers' Championship; McLaren won their first Constructors' Championship since 1991. In terms of race victories, 1998 was the team's most successful year since 1989.

Nick Heidfeld and Ricardo Zonta were test drivers for McLaren during 1998.

Who Designed the McLaren MP4/13?
The McLaren MP4/13 was designed by Adrian Newey, who had left Williams in 1997 to join the team. The previous car, the MP4/12, had its chassis designed by Steve Nichols, Neil Oatley and Henri Durand. It won 3 of the 17 races it contested and may have won more had it not been for reliability issues. Power was initially from the FO110E engine, but replaced with the FO110F engine from the French Grand Prix, but both engines were plagued with issues.

For the MP4/13, Newey served as technical director, Neil Oatley as chief designer, Steve Nichols as engineering director, Matthew Jeffreys as head of vehicle design, and David North as Chief Engineer.

Mechanical Specification
The McLaren MP4/13 had a carbon fiber and aluminum chassis, an overall length of 179.1 inches, AP Racing discs and calipers, and 13-inch Enkei wheels wrapped with Bridgestone tires. The suspension was via double wishbones and pushrods.

The Mario Illien-designed Mercedes-Benz FO-110G, 72-degree, ten-cylinder engine had four valves per cylinder and was paired with a McLaren six-speed longitudinal semi-automatic sequential transmission. It developed upwards of 800 horsepower at 17,000 RPM.

The Mercedes powerplant was the most powerful of the season, and the aerodynamic design features proposed by Newey made the MP4/13 the most efficient of the field. It was narrow, ran on grooved tires, and employed a unique brake-steer system that allowed the driver to use any one of the car's brakes independently to aid cornering. The system was soon banned after the Ferrari team protested, claiming the brake-steer system was a violation of the technical rules, which banned four-wheel steering. McLaren had to remove the system but was able to keep its points.

1998 Formula One Season
From the start of the season, the MP4/13 was clearly the car to beat. At the opening race of 1998 in Australia, Hakkinen and Coulthard finished a lap ahead of the rest of the field. The next race was in Brazil, and McLaren's dominance continued with Hakkinen placing first, followed by Coulthard.

After Brazil, the Ferrari team took over the top spots, but the MP4/13 regained its composure on high-speed tracks like Hockenheim and Silverstone. Coulthard and the MP4/13 speed-trapped the highest of all F1 cars that year with a speed of 353 km/h (219) at the old Hockenheim circuit.

The quest for the Drivers' Championship came down to the final race in Japan, where Michael Schumacher attempted to outpace Hakkinen. When the checkered flag fell, it was Hakkinen in the lead, claiming his eighth race win of the season and the Drivers' Championship. Coulthard won one race, in San Marino, and placed third overall.

The McLaren MP4/14
The McLaren MP4/14 used during the 1999 Formula One World Championship improved upon the aerodynamics of its predecessor and would be the fastest car of the season. The team won 7 of the 16 races with 16 podiums and 11 pole positions. Mika Hakkinen scored his second Formula One Drivers' Championship in a row, but Scuderia Ferrari claimed the World Constructors' Championship.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2023