McLAREN MP4/10 Mercedes

   After the disappointing 1994 season with the French engine supplier Peugeot, in 1995 Ron Dennis secured an exceptional partnership with Swiss engine designer Mario Ilien who, with the official support of Mercedes-Benz, began a 20-year-long chapter filled with success and world titles for the historic British team. Mercedes, in fact, after two years partnering with the Sauber team, decided to take a leap forward by teaming up with a prestigious team like McLaren. Ilmor Engineering Ltd. itself was completely overhauled, shifting from an engine manufacturer to an assembler for third parties, in this case Mercedes, who provided full support in terms of resources and personnel. With such foundations, 1995 promised to be a season of great expectations for the Woking-based team, enough to convince the “old lion” Nigel Mansell to return to Formula 1 after two seasons overseas in the American CART series, where he won the title in 1993 in his debut year.

McLAREN MP4/10, Mika Häkkinen
Estoril, Portuguese GP 1995  

   The technical staff led by Ron Dennis remained virtually unchanged from 1994, with Neil Oatley as executive engineer, Matthew Jeffreys as head of car design, David North as chief engineer for the transmission department, David Neilson as head of suspension engineering, Henri Durand as aerodynamicist, and Paddy Lowe in charge of R&D. Naturally, engine chief Jean-Pierre Boudy, who worked for Peugeot, was no longer part of the team and was replaced by Mario Ilien, while Steve Nichols returned to McLaren as technical director after previous stints at Ferrari and Jordan. The result of their work was the new McLaren MP4/10, a completely new car featuring an innovative chassis made by Hercules Aerospace, using a novel construction method that embedded ceramic beads within the carbon fiber structure to increase rigidity.

McLAREN MP4/10, Mika Häkkinen
Interlagos, Brazilian GP 1995

   However, the tight dimensions of the cockpit posed a serious issue for Mansell, who, accustomed to the larger chassis of American single-seaters, struggled to adjust to the cramped conditions of a Formula 1 car. As a result, Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen was initially paired with Englishman Mark Blundell for the first two races of the season, with Blundell handing over the car to Mansell only at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, the third race of the season. Despite having a chassis specifically redesigned for him, Mansell couldn’t regain the right feel for modern Formula 1 and, after another lackluster performance at the Montmeló circuit in Barcelona, decided to hang up his helmet for good, ending his brilliant career. Blundell resumed his seat alongside Häkkinen, who had to miss the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida later in the season due to appendicitis and was replaced by debutant Danish driver Jan Magnussen. During practice for the final race of the season in Australia, Häkkinen was involved in a terrifying accident that left him in a coma for two days. After a long rehabilitation, the Finnish driver would return at the start of the 1996 season.

McLAREN MP4/10, Nigel Mansell
Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 1995 

   Back to the MP4/10: the car was notable for its high, very pointed nose cone, beneath which was mounted a full-width front wing supported by two pylons. The sidepods were relatively tall and narrow, tapering sharply at the rear. A distinctive feature of the MP4/10 was a small additional wing placed above the engine cover, designed to increase downforce on slow circuits. The suspension system was based on that of the previous MP4/9, although the rear lower wishbone was positioned higher, now running above the diffuser profile to avoid disrupting the airflow beneath the car. The major novelty of the MP4/10, of course, was the engine: the new 75° Mercedes-Benz FO110D V10, designed by Mario Ilien. This German V10 featured an extremely compact engine block, well-suited to the new regulations requiring a stepped floor with a central skid block. The V-angle was wide enough to house the necessary pneumatic and hydraulic systems inside. The MP4/10's electronics were still managed by a TAG 2.12F ECU, allowing the engine to reach 15,600 rpm with a maximum output of 690 horsepower.

McLAREN MP4/10, Mika Häkkinen
Monza, Italian GP 1995

   Despite the promising design, it was the new and young Mercedes-Benz engine that gave Ron Dennis' team the most trouble, with frequent reliability issues. Over the course of the season, the car was upgraded to a “B” version, starting from the third race with a new chassis adapted to Mansell's needs, and later to a “C” version, which was only used in Portugal and at the Nürburgring during the European Grand Prix. After a season start well below expectations, and once some reliability issues were resolved, the MP4/10 showed its potential in the final races, scoring a good series of results including two second-place finishes with Häkkinen at Monza and Suzuka. However, McLaren remained far behind the top three teams of 1995 (Benetton, Williams, and Ferrari) and finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with a meager haul of just 30 points.