McLAREN MP4/19 Mercedes

   The lack of development of the MP4/17D, which the McLaren-Mercedes team used during the 2003 season, a season in which Technical Director Adrian Newey was constantly focused on pursuing his ideas for the MP4/18, a car that never made it to the track due to reliability problems, had serious consequences for the following seasons as well. Ron Dennis, the team’s Sporting Director since 1980, had to work hard to mediate between the various ideas within the team and Newey’s firm conviction about the need to develop a new chassis. Despite the flaws shown during the previous year’s tests with the “old” MP4/18 and against Newey’s wishes, the car was used as the basis for the new MP4/19, which was brought to the track in the 2004 championship by the Woking-based team in Surrey, England.

McLAREN MP4/19, Kimi Räikkönen
Melbourne, Australian GP 2004

   Newey argued that the new car was identical to the MP4/18, and in many ways it was, keeping almost unchanged the extremely slender shapes he had conceived, even though Dennis described it as a “debug” version of the ill-fated MP4/18. The technical group remained the same as in the previous season with Neil Oatley (Executive Engineer), Adrian Newey (Technical Director), Mike Coughlan (Chief Designer), Paddy Lowe (Chief Engineer, Systems Development), Pat Fry (Chief Engineer, Race Development), Tim Goss (Chief Engineer, Powertrain), and Ilmor-Mercedes engine designer Mario Illien integrated into the team. Two high-profile figures were also added: Greek-Cypriot Nicholas Tombazis (Chief Engineer, Aerodynamics), who arrived from Ferrari, and Mark Williams, who had been with McLaren since 1997 and was promoted to Chief Engineer Vehicle Performance. The new MP4/19 retained the carbon-fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis already used on the MP4/18, with a very slim, low, and short nose. The sidepods were also short, with hot-air outlets integrating the exhausts and placed on the upper outer part of the sidepods, just in front of the rear wheels. The entire bodywork featured a proliferation of winglets and flow deflectors to optimize rear downforce, while the suspension kept the classic push-rod design and, at the front, the double-keel beneath the nose.

McLAREN MP4/19, David Coulthard
Montréal, Canadian GP 2004

   The gearbox was a longitudinal semi-automatic seven-speed unit, built directly by McLaren but overseen by Sutton, with electronic management by the McLaren Star2 System ECU, the same system controlling the Ilmor-Mercedes FO110Q engine, a 90° V10 capable of producing 880 hp at 18,500 rpm. The engine was, in fact, the main suspect behind the poor performance and frequent failures of the MP4/19 at the beginning of the season, with no fewer than eight retirements in the first nine races, all due to engine or transmission failures. The abolition of control systems introduced in 2001 (launch control and fully automatic gear changes) also meant that the two confirmed drivers from the previous season, Britain’s David Coulthard and Finland’s Kimi Räikkönen, had to get used once again to finding the right bite point and releasing the clutch manually, creating further stress on the engine and clutch.

McLAREN MP4/19B, Kimi Räikkönen
Suzuka, Japanese GP 2004 

   From the very beginning, Newey considered a new car design necessary, a decision the team only made halfway through the season. At the tenth race of the year, the French Grand Prix, the “B” version of the MP4/19 was introduced, although in reality it was a completely new car, with a chassis and aerodynamic package designed entirely from scratch, while retaining the general look of the previous car. Positive results came immediately, giving the team hope for a stronger second half of the season. Coulthard qualified third in France and finished sixth in the race, later scoring more points and podiums. The improvement became truly evident when Räikkönen delivered the team’s only win of the season, triumphing at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. A new, wider, flatter nose was tested at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix but was not retained for the remainder of the season, though it would return on the MP4/20 in 2005, while the needle-nose design would be used again on the MP4/21 in 2006. The team ended the season fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 69 points, the worst McLaren-Mercedes result since 1996.

McLAREN MP4-19B, David Coulthard
Monza, Italian GP 2004 

   What happened in Woking at the start of the 2004 season, with Newey unable to impose his will to change the car’s design and the team management vetoing the decision, would heavily impact the future relationship between Ron Dennis and the British engineer. It later emerged that Dennis himself had planned a restructuring of McLaren’s management to ensure that, in the event such an important figure left, the team would not again be thrown into crisis. Newey’s dissatisfaction, however, would ultimately lead to a split with McLaren at the end of 2005, as he sought success with the nascent Red Bull project, where he would once again achieve an impressive string of victories.