Despite the strong rise of the Red cars from Maranello, who with Schumacher and Irvine in 1999 fought for the championship with the silver arrows of McLaren-Mercedes right up to the final race, in 2000 the British team did not introduce anything innovative. The new MP4/15 single-seater was merely a revised version of the previous MP4/14, which had won the World Championship for the second consecutive year with Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen.
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| McLAREN MP4/15, Mika Häkkinen Hockenheimring, German GP 2000 |
Unfortunately for them, in Formula 1 resting on one's laurels is virtually impossible, and so Ron Dennis's team found itself having to contend with the exponential growth in Ferrari’s performance, once again the only cars capable of keeping up with the lightning-fast machines from Woking, in Surrey, England. McLaren's exceptional technical team was entirely confirmed for the 2000 season, with Adrian Newey as Technical Director, Neil Oatley as Chief Designer, Steve Nichols as Engineering Director, Matthew Jeffreys as Head of Vehicle Design, David North as Chief Engineer for the Transmission Department, David Neilson as Suspension Lead Engineer, Paddy Lowe heading the Research and Development Department, and Henri Durand as Chief Aerodynamicist. Mario Illien, designer of the Ilmor-Mercedes FO110 V10 engine, remained with the team as Engine Chief, along with Norbert Haug in his role as Mercedes Vice President of Motorsport Activities.
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| McLAREN MP4/15, Mika Häkkinen Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 2000 |
The new chassis designed by Newey was even stiffer, with a further-lowered center of gravity, though these small differences weren’t visually evident. The nose was only slightly higher than the previous model and had a more tapered shape, while maintaining the elegance that characterized the ’99 car. The sidepods, now even sleeker and more curved, preserved the typical lines of Newey’s creations, with contours that followed the internal components. For the first time, the MP4/15 featured “chimneys” on the outer edge of the sidepods to vent the hot air that accumulated inside the lateral intakes. Beneath the engine cover remained the powerful Mercedes-Benz FO110 V10 engine, which for this season reached the “J” version, capable of producing about 815 hp at 17,800 rpm, while still maintaining its renowned lightness, weighing just over 100 kg. This made it unquestionably the engine with the most favorable power-to-weight ratio in the entire field. The new McLaren-Mercedes livery retained the beautiful silver-black colors that had defined the Woking cars since West replaced Marlboro as main sponsor. Interestingly, in countries where tobacco advertising was banned, the “West” logo was replaced with the names “Mika” and “David” on the cars of the confirmed drivers, reigning World Champion Mika Häkkinen from Finland and the Scottish driver David Coulthard. Thanks to the continuity provided by these two excellent drivers and a well-tested, well-developed car, Ron Dennis's team started the first Championship of the new millennium as the favorite, with the MP4/15 proving very competitive from the first pre-season tests.
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| McLAREN MP4/15, Mika Häkkinen Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2000 |
However, the season didn’t begin as expected, and after two races McLaren had 0 points, due to two consecutive retirements for Häkkinen and a retirement and disqualification for Coulthard. Meanwhile, the main rival, Michael Schumacher with Ferrari, started the season with two consecutive wins, forcing Newey to focus all his efforts on implementing updates and modifications to the car. The results quickly became evident. From the third race at Imola, despite Schumacher’s third straight win, the two MP4/15s regained competitiveness and consistency, with Coulthard achieving a streak of nine podiums in ten races, including three wins. Mid-season, a series of four retirements by Schumacher allowed Häkkinen, more consistent than his teammate, to take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship and McLaren to overtake Ferrari in the Constructors’. The final stretch of the season saw a fierce battle between the Finn and the German, with Schumacher ultimately finishing the season with four consecutive victories, snatching both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles from McLaren-Mercedes, though Ferrari had already narrowly won the Constructors’ title in ’99.
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| McLAREN MP4/15, Mika Häkkinen Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2000 |
Despite the 10 points deducted from the McLaren-Mercedes team after the Austrian Grand Prix, where one of the two cars was found with a tampered FIA seal, the MP4/15 remains one of the most competitive and successful single-seaters built in Woking. It racked up 7 wins, 10 second places, and 5 third places, along with 7 pole positions and 12 fastest laps, scoring a total of 152 points in the Constructors’ Championship. The MP4/15 is also famous for the spectacular overtake by Häkkinen at Spa-Francorchamps on the Kemmel straight, where he passed both Schumacher and backmarker Zonta, a move still considered one of the most celebrated overtakes in Formula 1 history.
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