The Age of McLaren - 1984 to 1991

Prost is Beaten - Again

France and the rest of the motor racing world was stunned in 1984 when Alain Prost, darling of the French sporting press and Renault's great hope for the future, jumped ship and joined McLaren. By now all the teams - except Tyrrell - had made the switch to turbo units. Alain had been having problems with the Renault management and the combination of McLaren and a TAG-Porsche engine seemed too good an offer to turn down. He may have been condemned in the French press for abandoning what was considered the French national team, but for Prost the move to McLaren was to prove very, very fruitful.

Two times world champion Niki Lauda was already firmly established as the main man with McLaren and Prost would have to work hard to earn his place in the team. Lauda played his usual crafty game and let the young Frenchman out-qualify him for most of the year. Niki was more interested in the outcome of the race. The relationship got off to a good start for Alain when he won the Brazilian race after Lauda suffered from a clash with Warwick's Renault. He finished second behind his team-mate in South Africa having been forced to use the T-car. Zolder was a disappointment to the team as Alboreto led all the way to the finish. At Imola they fared better with Prost leading all the way, despite an early spin.

Prost finished in front during the red-flagged Monaco event while Piquet scored a win for Brabham in Montreal. Nelson repeated the feat at Detroit on the unloved street circuit. From Detroit they moved to Dallas and on a roasting circuit Rosberg won while the track melted away around him. For his troubles Sue-Ellen of Dallas (actress Linda Gray) gave him his trophy. Back in Europe Lauda won at Brands Hatch and Prost in Germany. Lauda won on his home territory of Austria and then led Prost home at Zandvoort. The McLaren boys now had the title sewn up. The only thing that remained was which one would take it ? Lauda staked his claim with a win at Monza, then Alain came back at the new Nürburgring to keep it tight. The finale was held at Estoril. Prost won, but Lauda did enough. The final score-line; 72 points to 71.5 in favour of Lauda. It was the narrowest ever margin.

Prost is Champion - finally

For 1985 the McLaren-TAG was the package to beat. Ferrari and Williams were the best of the rest although many were now predicting great things for Senna who had managed to wriggle out of a commitment to Toleman to join de Angelis at Lotus. Alboreto of Ferrari was the first to stake his claim with a pole position in Rio. Prost won the race while Alboreto had to be content with second. Senna showed his class at Estoril with both pole position and the win in a soaking wet race. Imola was a farce. Senna led until he ran out of fuel, Johansson took over and he too ran dry. Prost crossed the line first but was disqualified for being underweight, leaving de Angelis to take the points. Senna did his pole thing again at Monaco but the win went to Prost. Alboreto continued his title challenge with second place. In Canada he upped the stakes somewhat with his first win of the year. Prost was third. Senna was again on pole at Detroit but crashed out early. Rosberg took the win; Williams' first of the year.

Variety was provided at Paul Ricard when Piquet won giving tyre manufacturer Pirelli their first win since 1957. At Silverstone Senna led for most of the race but again forget to check his fuel. Prost took the win by over a lap from Alboreto. The order was reversed at the Nürburgring and then Prost came back to win in Austria after Lauda retired while leading. Zandvoort was next, hosting its last ever Grand Prix. The race also marked Niki Lauda's last ever win. Monza saw Prost across the line first again, while in Spa it was Senna who took the flag just ahead of Mansell and the Frenchman. That put Prost in reach of the title. Mansell finally came good at the next race. Once again the European Grand Prix was held at Brands Hatch and Mansell scored an emotive home win ahead of Senna and Rosberg. Prost finished fourth and with that claimed the title. Mansell had now found his legs and won easily at Kyalami. The season ended in Adelaide which hosted the first ever Australian Grand Prix. Senna took pole but Prost was the victor in a race that side-lined most of the runners.

Two retirements were announced at the end of the season. Lauda quit the sport for the second, and last, time. Renault also withdrew although they would remain active as an engine supplier. After a number of relatively safe seasons two Formula One drivers lost their lives in 1985 when Manfred Winkelhock and the promising Tyrrell driver Stefan Bellof died in sports car races at Mosport Park and Spa respectively.

Mansell - A Tyre Costs him the Title

1986 was another season that started with a game of musical chairs. With Lauda gone, Ron Dennis replaced him with another proven champion - Keke Rosberg. Piquet took his place at Williams while de Angelis moved over to Brabham. Senna also got involved in the transfer market - by vetoing the appointment of Warwick who Lotus wanted as the replacement for de Angelis. He simply did not want a top name alongside him. Over the winter break Toleman changed names and became Benetton - the Italian clothing giant having been a major Formula One sponsor for several years - with the talented Austrian Gerhard Berger joining Fabi.

The season once again opened in Rio de Janerio and Piquet and Senna made it a one-two for Brazil. For the next race the circus went to Spain for the first time in several years. The stage was Jerez, a tight, twisty circuit more suited to the motorcycle racing it is famous for. Surprisingly the race was a thrilling one with Senna crossing the line just 0.14 seconds ahead of Mansell. Prost finished third, and Rosberg fourth - the Finn doing well in a car that he claimed was never truly to his liking.

When the circus met again at Spa Piquet and Berger shared the front row, while Mansell fought through to win his first race for over a year ahead of Senna and Johansson. Yet another black weekend then befell the sport. The former Osella driver Jo Gartner was killed during the Le Mans 24 Hour race while Marc Surer the Arrows driver, was badly injured in a rally accident. For the race in Canada Brabham recruited Derek Warwick to replace de Angelis. Mansell took pole but Prost won the race. Following the short hop to Detroit Senna returned to form and scored his second win of the year, while back in Europe Mansell continued his assault on the title with a strong win at Paul Ricard ahead of Prost, Piquet and Rosberg.

At Brands Hatch Mansell lost a driveshaft at the start but fortunately for him the race was red-flagged when Johansson and Laffite collided. The Frenchman slammed into the barrier and broke both legs in what was to be a career-ending injury. At the restart Mansell beat Piquet away and led the Brazilian home. At the high speed Hockenheim track Piquet answered with a win that kept his title bid alive.

The next race was a first, as the circus moved to Hungary for the first race behind the Iron Curtain. Piquet won on the twisty circuit just ahead of Senna. At the Österreichring the BMW's powered to the top of the grid with both both Berger and Fabi on the front row. Neither finished the race which was won by Prost. At Monza Fabi was again the star as he took what is arguably the most powerful car ever to sit on the grid onto the front row with Prost. Prost started the race in the T-car but was disqualified for changing cars too late. Piquet led Mansell home in a Williams one-two while Mansell won at the next outing in Portugal.

The next race on the schedule was the third new circuit of the year when the gang arrived back in Mexico City for the first time since 1970. Berger got his, and Benetton's, first win. The finale was set for Adelaide and it was to be a dramatic end to a stunning season. Mansell took charge from pole until a rear tyre blew on the pit straight. Williams called Piquet in for a precautionary pit-stop and an incredulous Prost cruised through to take his second title. The star of the show was Rosberg who led for some 57 laps but failed to finish. He was one of the few drivers to leave the sport while still at the top. Former champion Alan Jones also quit again, after a poor season - it had been four years since his first retirement.

Williams Break McLaren's Hold

In the years between 1984 and 1991 McLaren won the drivers and constructors championship a stunning seven times. 1987 was the one they missed as the game turned into a contest between Mansell and Piquet. Mansell was the bridesmaid again as the Brazilian accepted the laurels for the third and last time.

According to FISA the turbo-era was getting stupid. The cars were simply too powerful and in the interest of safety it was decreed that from 1989 onwards Formula One would revert to 3.5 litre non-turbo engines. It was decided to run two interim years where both types of engine would run alongside each other. A separate classifications was created to recognise the normally aspirated engines so for 1987 only drivers could battle for the Jim Clark Cup.

The season opened in Rio. Prost won the race to Piquet's second place. At Imola Piquet suffered a serious accident in practise and missed the race which was won by Mansell. Back in sixth place Satoru Nakajima became the first Japanese driver to score a world championship point. Prost won at Spa when Piquet retired with turbo failure and Mansell and Senna took each other out. Senna won at Monaco and then again in Detroit. Mansell finally got it right at Paul Ricard, winning from pole position. Again Mansell won his home race at Silverstone but suffered an engine failure at Hockenheim, allowing Piquet to keep the title race interesting. Piquet moved further ahead after Mansell failed again in Hungary. Nigel made amends at the circus' last visit to the mighty Österreichring, winning after the third start. Austria and Italy went to Piquet who also scored four vital points in Portugal as Mansell retired yet again.

After Mexico, which Mansell won, the title race was as tight as it could be with Piquet holding the upper hand. It was all resolved in Suzuka, Japan's first Grand Prix since 1976. Mansell crashed in practise and was out for the rest of the season. Ironically Piquet failed to score in both the Suzuka and Adelaide races which were both won by Berger in his Ferrari. Johnathan Palmer won the Jim Clark Cup although few observers were really that interested.

Berger Prevents a McLaren Cleansweep

1988 was a stunning year. Not since the dominance of Alfa Romeo and Mercedes of the 1950s has the sport seen one team win the championship by such a massive margin. McLaren finished the championship with 199 points. Ferrari were second place with less than a third of that figure. Of the sixteen races in the season McLaren won every one - except for Monza where Gerhard Berger brought his Ferrari home first in front of the fanatical tifosi.

McLaren were destined to do well in 1988. That fact became apparent when it was announced that Senna was to be Alain Prost's new team-mate. The Brazilian had spent the last few year establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with and he was the natural choice to replace Johansson who had been shown the door at the end of the 1987 season. Prost scored more points that Senna over the course of the season but with only the best eleven results counting for the title Senna clinched it as he had won eight races; Prost had won just seven.

The battle began in Brazil and Prost took charge after Senna, who qualified on pole, was forced to start from the pits in his spare car. Senna drove the partisan crowd wild as he powered from 21st at the end of lap one to second place by lap twenty. Unfortunately his efforts amounted to nothing when he was disqualified for switching cars. In Monaco Senna threw it away with only a handful of laps to go. Prost got the flag again. In Mexico the calm Frenchman was again triumphant, beating Senna by seven seconds. In Canada Senna finally got the chance to lead Prost home as it was another McLaren 1-2. It was the same order in Detroit. In France Prost came home first, Senna a distant second with gearbox troubles. At Silverstone Senna won in horrendous conditions when Prost retired claiming the rain was simply too dangerous for racing. In Germany the Brazilian was first again although Prost finished second. Hungary was another win for Senna who made it four in a row at Spa. By now the press and public were convinced that nothing could stop McLaren. Then came Monza and Berger's decisive win after Prost retired with engine failure and Senna was knocked off the track in a fracas with Jean-Louis Schlesser's Williams.

Prost won at Estoril and in Spain where Senna fell back to a lowly fourth. In Japan Senna stalled on the grid and was 14th at the first corner. He fought back and overtook Prost with 23 laps to go. Prost finished the season with a win in Australia but the title already belonged to Senna. Adelaide also marked the end of the turbo era and many wondered what the future held. One thing was certain however Senna's grip on the sport would grow even tighter. The stakes had been raised and there would be no going back.

McLaren Steamroler Keeps Going

For the 1989 season McLaren retained the services of their stunning combination of Prost, Senna and an impressive Honda power unit. Several drivers switched seats for 1989 in a bid to get into a car that might actually beat the McLarens. Mansell joined Ferrari, while Williams, running the newly acquired Renault engines, recruited Boutsen and Patrese to head their challenge.

Mansell got a good start to the season with a win in Brazil after Senna went off at the first corner. The race was marred by a serious practise accident which left AGS driver Streiff with a broken neck. San Marino was next and Senna overturned a pre-race deal and overtook Prost to take the win. At Monaco the McLarens were on the front row and Senna led all the way home. In Mexico he did it again with Patrese and Alboreto joining him on the podium. Prost started his fight back in Phoenix with a strong win after Senna retired with electrical problems. He scored another win in France when Senna retired on the first lap. Senna again failed to score in Britain giving Prost yet another win. Senna clawed some vital points back with a win in Germany and second in Hungary. He won at a wet Spa circuit with Prost in second. At Monza it was Prost again as Senna's engine blew with nine laps to go. Portugal belonged to Berger and his Ferrari while Prost came home second. That gave the Frenchman a 24 point lead with just three races left. After Senna won in Spain and Prost finished third the gap was greatly reduced.

The events of Suzuka were to set the tone for the relationship between the two men for the rest of their careers. With seven laps to go Senna made a late charge up the inside of Alain, who refused to back off. They both spun and Prost retired on the spot. Senna received a push-start and won the race, only to be disqualified later. That left Nannini to take his first win. The last race was again in Adelaide and this time victory went to Boutsen which helped Williams take second place in the constructors championship.

Senna v Prost = World War III

1990 started badly for the Brazilian. Following his incident with Prost he came in for a considerable amount of flak from the authorities. He then antagonised the then FISA president, Frenchman Jean-Marie Balestre, by accusing him of siding with Prost and manipulating the championship in favour of his countryman. As a result he was denied entry into the 1990 competition and even considered retiring. He relented and withdrew his accusations deciding instead to take the fight to the circuit.

Prost had left McLaren at the end of 1989, effectively driven from the team by Senna's actions. For 1990 he would drive with Mansell at Ferrari. Senna kicked off the season with a stunning win at Phoenix. Prost retired. In Brazil Prost was the victor and Senna third, split by Berger who had joined McLaren. At Imola Patrese was the winner with Prost classified fourth. Senna spun off. Monaco was again Senna's race who was chased home by Alesi. It was Prost's turn to retire. Canada was another easy one for Senna, while Mexico provided Prost with his chance for glory, when he won despite qualifying a lowly 13th. In France it was Prost again, despite the surprise of Ivan Capelli leading in his Leyton House. Prost won in Britain and then Mansell stole his thunder by announcing his retirement. Germany belonged to Senna, while at Budapest he had to be content with second behind Boutsen.

In Italy Senna won from Prost, but the story of the day was Warwick who destroyed his Lotus at the end of the first lap. Incredibly, he ran to the pits and got the spare for the restart. At Estoril Mansell did his team-mate no favours by slicing across him at the start. Nigel won the race. Prior to Suzuka Senna had the edge in the table. It was now a year since their incident on the Japanese circuit. Senna blatantly rammed his opponent off the track at the first corner and thus clinched the title. Piquet won the race for Benetton leading home his childhood friend Roberto Moreno. Moreno had replaced Nannini who had his arm severed in an helicopter accident. Piquet then won again in Australia and claimed third place in the championship table.

Third Title to Senna

After announcing his retirement in 1990 Mansell changed his mind and went to Williams instead, where he joined Riccardo Patrese. Senna and Berger remained at McLaren, with the Brazilian's eye firmly set on the title yet again.

The first race was again held in Phoenix and Ayrton blasted away from pole to score an impressive first win of the seasons. Prost came in second, while making his debut race, Mika Hakkinen gave a remarkable display of raw speed. In Brazil Senna finally achieved his dream of winning his home race. He finished just six seconds ahead of a fast-closing Patrese. San Marino was a little more decisive with only Berger on the same lap as the Brazilian. Monaco had been Senna's stomping ground for some time now and he confirmed it with another win in the principality.

Canada will always be remembered as the day Mansell screwed up - big style. He was leading with the line in sight when, while waving to the crowd, he failed to keep up his engine revs and stalled. Piquet swept past, laughing all the way to the win. Mexico saw Patrese lead Mansell home, while Senna spent the weekend blaming Honda for not giving him a good enough engine.

For the first time ever the French Grand Prix was held at Magny-Cour and Mansell was first across the line. A week later he won again at Silverstone. Senna should have finished second but he ran out of fuel and was forced to let Berger and Prost move ahead of him. The Brazilian's huge points margin was being steadily eroded and Mansell took another chunk out of it with a win in Germany; his third on the trot. Senna again ran out of fuel and Patrese made it a Williams one-two. Senna's lead received a boost with a win in Hungary, and then again with a surprise victory at Spa, a circuit regarded as one for the power brigade. Mansell then won in Italy to stay in the chase, while Patrese won in Portugal. A second place for Senna gave him a 24 point lead with three races left. Mansell won in Spain, Senna was fifth while Berger took the flag in Japan, after Senna waved him through. By then he did not need the extra four points as Mansell had driven into the scenery on lap ten. Ayrton had secured his third title and used the occasion to round on Balestre, once again accusing the FISA president of interfering in his 1989 title efforts.

He stopped moaning long enough to win a washed out Australian race that lasted just 14 laps. By now Prost had already announced he was quitting the sport. At the time many people blamed Senna for giving the Professor more than enough reason to quit the sport he once loved.

And so ended the Age of McLaren. They had dominated the sport for eight years but the next seven were to be increasingly barren. Some blamed the loss of the Honda engine in 1992 for the failure, other blame the team for simply becoming complacent. Whatever the reason the team could be proud of their past.