McLaren MP4-30

McLaren MP4-30

An MP4-30 driven by Jenson Button at the Malaysian Grand Prix (top, in its original livery) and the Canadian Grand Prix (bottom, in its updated livery)
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorMcLaren
Designer(s)Tim Goss (Technical Director)
Matt Morris (Engineering Director)
Peter Prodromou (Aerodynamics Director)
Phil Prew (Chief Engineer)
Mark Williams (Head of Vehicle Engineering)
Mark Ingham (Head of Vehicle Design)
Guillaume Cattelani (Head of Aerodynamics)
PredecessorMcLaren MP4-29
SuccessorMcLaren MP4-31
Technical specifications[1][2]
ChassisCarbon-fibre composite survival cell
Suspension (front)Pushrod system with inboard torsion bars and dampers
Suspension (rear)Pullrod system with inboard torsion bars and dampers
Length5,100 mm (201 in) for conventional nose; 5,070 mm (199.6 in) for stepped nose
Width1,800 mm (71 in)
Height950 mm (37 in)
Wheelbase3,520 mm (139 in) with -/+25 mm (0.9843 in) adjustable by adjusting the toe depending on circuit layout
EngineHonda RA615H 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine, limited to 15,000 rpm in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motorKinetic and thermal energy recovery systems
TransmissionMcLaren 8-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamless semi-automatic paddle shift with epicyclic differential and multi-plate limited slip clutch
BatteryHonda lithium-ion batteries
Weight702 kg (1,548 lb) (with driver), 617 kg (1,360 lb) (without driver),567 kg (1,250 lb) (without driver and fluids)
FuelEsso and Mobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel)
LubricantsMobil 1
BrakesAkebono brake-by-wire carbon discs with steel calipers
TyresPirelli P Zero dry slick and Pirelli Cinturato treaded intermediate and wet tyres
Enkei 13" magnesium racing wheels
ClutchAP Racing electro-hydraulically operated, carbon multi-plate
Competition history
Notable entrantsMcLaren Honda
Notable drivers14. Spain Fernando Alonso
22. United Kingdom Jenson Button
Debut2015 Australian Grand Prix
Last event2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
190000

The McLaren MP4-30 was a Formula One racing car designed by Tim Goss and Neil Oatley for McLaren to compete in the 2015 Formula One season.[3][4][5] The car was driven by 2005 and 2006 World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso, who returned to McLaren eight years after he last drove for the team[6] and 2009 World Champion Jenson Button.[6] Kevin Magnussen, who drove for the team in 2014, temporarily stood in for Alonso after a test accident.[7] Additional testing and development work was carried out by Magnussen, Stoffel Vandoorne and Oliver Turvey.[8][9] The car was the first built by McLaren since the MP4/7A—which contested the 1992 season—to be powered by a Honda engine, known as the RA615H,[10] after McLaren ended their twenty-year partnership with Mercedes at the end of the 2014 season.[11][12]

The car was nicknamed the "size zero Formula One car" by the team for its distinct sharply tapered rear end,[13] which was achieved by designing the Honda engine to operate at higher temperatures than other engines.[14] At the end of the season, the car recorded a best finish of fifth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix,[15] and had scored just twenty-seven points, leaving McLaren ninth in the World Constructors' Championship. Button and Alonso were classified in sixteenth and seventeenth positions respectively, in the World Drivers' Championship, while Magnussen was not formally classified, as he did not start the one race that he entered. This made 2015 the most difficult season in Formula One that the team had endured in 35 years, as a string of technical problems and retirements compromised the car's performance.[16] An analysis of the project pointed towards failure in communication between McLaren and Honda, Honda under-estimating the technology required for the engine, and critical faults in the engine's design, as the cause of the team's problems.[17]

  1. ^ "MP4-30 — a new era". mclaren.com. McLaren. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  2. ^ Noble, Jonathan; Beer, Matt (11 December 2013). "F1 teams expert enough to avoid early tyre struggles – Ross Brawn". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Peter Prodromou arrives at McLaren". mclaren.com. McLaren. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Engineering team". mclaren.com. McLaren. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  5. ^ "@McLarenF1: 13 December 2014". Twitter. 13 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2014. Good news: the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 has passed all its @fia chassis crash tests.
  6. ^ a b "McLaren-Honda announces Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for 2015". McLaren.com. McLaren. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Alonso to miss Australian race on medical advice". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 3 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  8. ^ Esler, William (22 June 2015). "Vandoorne gets McLaren chance". Sky Sports F1. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  9. ^ "McLaren completes Barcelona F1 test line-up with Button and Turvey". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  10. ^ "McLaren". formula1.com. Formula One Administration. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  11. ^ "2015 FIA F1 World Championship — Entry List". FIA.com. Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  12. ^ Collantine, Keith (16 May 2013). "Honda confirm F1 return with McLaren in 2015". F1 Fanatic. Keith Collantine. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  13. ^ Johnson, Daniel (1 February 2015). "McLaren's 'size zero' model struggles in first day on Jerez catwalk". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference radical was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Barretto, Lawrence (26 July 2015). "Sebastian Vettel wins thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix". autosport.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  16. ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (26 November 2015). "Alonso keeps faith: "McLaren the only way I can be Formula 1 World Champion again"". James Allen on F1. James Allen. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  17. ^ Gill, Pete (19 August 2015). "What's gone wrong at McLaren-Honda and how can they fix it?". Sky Sports F1. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2015.