For the 1983 season, the Marlboro McLaren International team once again used the MP4/1 single-seater, further updated to comply with the new aerodynamic regulations imposed by the federation. The working group, led by executive engineer John Barnard and composed of chief designer Steve Nichols and chief engineer Alan Jenkins, created the “C” version of the MP4/1, now in its third year of use.
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| McLAREN MP4/1C, Niki Lauda Silverstone, British GP 1983 |
The excellent carbon fiber monocoque chassis remained unchanged, as did the rest of the proven mechanical base, while the aerodynamic configuration changed significantly, adopting the typical “coke bottle” shape of the sidepods, a configuration that, starting in 1984, would be copied by nearly every rival team. The ban on ground effect, requiring completely flat car floors, forced designers to find downforce in other areas of the car without excessively increasing wing angles, which would negatively affect top speed.
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| McLAREN MP4-1C, Niki Lauda Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
John Barnard's solution, with sidepods tapered inside the rear wheels, facilitated airflow to the upper area of the rear diffuser, which, thanks to the Coandă effect (airflow following a surface), generated good downforce. Niki Lauda and John Watson were confirmed as main drivers and began the season strongly, with a third place in Brazil and a one-two finish at Long Beach. Despite the excellent aerodynamics, without a turbo engine, competing for the title was unrealistic; even the new Ford Cosworth DFY engine, producing 550 hp and used in the updated MP4/1D version, didn’t significantly improve the situation.
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| McLAREN MP4-1C, John Watson Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1983 |
For 1984, Ron Dennis already had an exclusive contract for a turbo engine, developed by TAG in collaboration with Porsche, to be installed in the future car. However, a clever political move by Lauda, involving Marlboro executive Aleandro Buzzi, forced the McLaren team to use this engine already during the 1983 season. Thus, from the Dutch Grand Prix, a further version of the MP4/1 debuted, the “E” version, equipped with the new TAG-Porsche TTE P01 1499 cc V6 turbo engine, producing 700 hp. It was initially used only by Lauda and later also by Watson.
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| McLAREN MP4-1E TAG-Porsche, John Watson Brands Hatch, European GP 1983 |
This car was a simple transitional model in anticipation of the new version set to debut in 1984. Despite the fragility of the experimental turbo engine, it proved to be competitive. The Woking team scored 34 points in the 1983 season, finishing 5th in the championship, but most importantly, laying the foundation for a successful partnership with the TAG-Porsche engine in the years to come.
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