 Lewis Hamilton driving the MP4-22 at the 2007 Belgian Grand Prix | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Neil Oatley (Executive Engineer) Paddy Lowe (Engineering Director) Pat Fry (Chief Engineer) Mark Williams (Head of Vehicle Engineering) Mike Coughlan (Chief Designer) Rob Taylor (Principal Design Engineer) Simon Lacey (Head of Aerodynamics) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | MP4-21 | ||||||||
| Successor | MP4-23 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side-impact structures | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | As front | ||||||||
| Length | 4,670 mm (184 in) | ||||||||
| Width | 1,800 mm (71 in) | ||||||||
| Height | 950 mm (37 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 3,100 mm (122 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz FO 108T 2.4 litres (146 cubic inches) V8 naturally-aspirated mid-engined and longitudinally-mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | McLaren 7-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamless semi-automatic paddle shift with epicyclic differential and multi-plate limited-slip clutch | ||||||||
| Battery | GS Yuasa | ||||||||
| Power | 810 hp @ 19,000 rpm[1] | ||||||||
| Weight | 605 kg (1,334 lb) | ||||||||
| Fuel | Exxon/Mobil High Performance unleaded | ||||||||
| Tyres | Bridgestone Potenza 4-line grooved slicks and treaded intermediate and wet tyres Enkei 13" magnesium racing wheels | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 1.  Fernando Alonso2.  Lewis Hamilton | ||||||||
| Debut | 2007 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| First win | 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last win | 2007 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last event | 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The McLaren MP4-22 is a Formula One racing car that was constructed by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to compete in the 2007 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Paddy Lowe, Neil Oatley, Pat Fry, Mike Coughlan and Simon Lacey, with Andy Cowell and Mario Illien designing the bespoke Mercedes-Benz engine. The car was revealed in testing at Circuit de Valencia in Spain on 15 January 2007,[2][3] and was driven by double World Champion Fernando Alonso and debutant Lewis Hamilton.
The MP4-22 proved to be one of the most competitive cars of the season, with Alonso and Hamilton achieving four victories each. However, a fierce rivalry between the two drivers, combined with the 2007 Formula One espionage controversy, resulted in McLaren losing both championships to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro.
This was the first McLaren Formula One ran with Bridgestone tyres since the MP4-16 in 2001.
- ^ "Engine Mercedes". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ ITV-F1 article on testing - Alonso pleased with MP4-22 debut article Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ITV-F1 article on testing - McLaren launches MP4-22 article Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine