McLaren MP4-17
The McLaren MP4-17 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the 2002 and 2003 Formula One World Championships. The chassis was designed by Adrian Newey, Mike Coughlan, Neil Oatley and Peter Prodromou with Mario Illien designing the bespoke Ilmor engine. The car was driven by Briton David Coulthard and Finn Kimi Räikkönen in both seasons.
Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
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Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||||
Designer(s) | Neil Oatley (Executive Engineer) Adrian Newey (Technical Director) Matthew Jeffreys (Chief Designer, 2002) Mike Coughlan (Chief Designer, 2003) Paddy Lowe (Chief Engineer, Systems Development) Pat Fry (Chief Engineer, Race Development) Tim Goss (Chief Engineer, Powertrain) Peter Prodromou (Head of Aerodynamics) Phil Adey (Chief Aerodynamicist) Mario Illien (Chief Engine Designer (Ilmor-Mercedes)) | ||||||||||
Predecessor | MP4-16 | ||||||||||
Successor | MP4-18 / MP4-19 | ||||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||||
Chassis | Carbon-fibre monocoque | ||||||||||
Suspension (front) | double wishbone, inboard torsion bar/damper system, pushrod and bell crank-activated | ||||||||||
Suspension (rear) | double wishbone, inboard torsion bar/damper system, pushrod and bell crank-activated | ||||||||||
Engine | Ilmor-built Mercedes-Benz FO110M / FO110P 3.0-litre V10 (90º) naturally-aspirated mid-engine | ||||||||||
Transmission | McLaren 7-Speed longitudinal semi-automatic sequential | ||||||||||
Power | 845-850 hp @ 18,500 rpm[1] | ||||||||||
Fuel | Mobil 1 | ||||||||||
Tyres | Michelin | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | West McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||||
Notable drivers | 3/5. David Coulthard 4/6. Kimi Räikkönen | ||||||||||
Debut |
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First win |
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Last win |
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Last event |
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Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
2002
The team did not perform as well as expected in 2002, in a season dominated by Ferrari, and due to the unreliability of the car; they eventually finished third in the Constructors' Championship with 65 points and one victory (in Monaco).
2003
Using a development version of the car, the MP4-17D, the 2003 season started very promisingly with wins at the first two grands prix of the year, one each for Coulthard and Räikkönen. However, rival teams soon caught up as McLaren was sidetracked by the development of the McLaren MP4-18, a radical new design, which due to reliability problems, never raced in anger. As a result, the team gradually fell slightly further back as the season progressed, allowing rivals, developing their cars more efficiently, to catch up. However, despite this setback, Räikkönen consistently finished in the points and challenged Michael Schumacher for the championship all the way up to the last race, eventually losing the title by only 2 points. The team again finished third in the Constructors' Championship, and having 142 points, just two points behind Williams F1.
McLaren used 'West' logos in both seasons except at the French and British Grands Prix.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position, results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
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2002 | MP4-17 | Mercedes FO110M 3.0 V10 | M | AUS | MAL | BRA | SMR | ESP | AUT | MON | CAN | EUR | GBR | FRA | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | USA | JPN | 65 | 3rd | |
David Coulthard | Ret | Ret | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 10 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 | Ret | ||||||
Kimi Räikkönen | 3 | Ret | 12† | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 4 | 3 | Ret | 2 | Ret | 4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | ||||||
2003 | MP4-17D | Mercedes FO110M 3.0 V10 | M | AUS | MAL | BRA | SMR | ESP | AUT | MON | CAN | EUR | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | ITA | USA | JPN | 142 | 3rd | ||
David Coulthard | 1 | Ret | 4 | 5 | Ret | 5 | 7 | Ret | 15† | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 3 | |||||||
Kimi Räikkönen | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 6 | Ret | 4 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
References
- "Engine Mercedes". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.