 Lewis Hamilton driving the MP4-23 at the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | McLaren | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | Neil Oatley (Executive Engineer) Paddy Lowe (Engineering Director) Tim Goss (Chief Engineer) Mark Williams (Head of Vehicle Engineering) Andrew Bailey (Chief Designer) Rob Taylor (Principal Design Engineer) Simon Lacey (Head of Aerodynamics) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | MP4-22 | ||||||||||
| Successor | MP4-24 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Adjustable double wish-bone arrangement | ||||||||||
| 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 108V 2.4 litre V8 Naturally aspirated, mid-engined | ||||||||||
| 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 (Limited) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 605 kg (1,334 lb) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Mobil Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Mobil 1 Lubricants, newly developed 2008 formula for lower friction and better wear resistance | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Bridgestone Potenza Enkei Wheels Front & Rear | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 22.  Lewis Hamilton23.  Heikki Kovalainen | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2008 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 2008 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 2008 Chinese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (Lewis Hamilton, 2008) | ||||||||||
The McLaren MP4-23 was a Formula One racing car that was constructed by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to compete in the 2008 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Paddy Lowe, Neil Oatley, Tim Goss, Andrew Bailey and Simon Lacey, with Mario Illien and Andy Cowell designing the Mercedes-Benz engine. It was revealed at Mercedes-Benz's motor sport museum in Stuttgart on 7 January 2008,[1] and it had its first on-track appearance at Circuito Permanente de Jerez in Spain on 9 January.[2] The car won the 2008 World Drivers' Championship in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, but finished second in the Constructors' Championship, which was won by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. The car, along with its rivals during the season, marked the end of an era of complex aerodynamic appendages on the bodywork, which would be banned for 2009. As of 2023[update], the MP4/23 is the last McLaren Formula One car to win the drivers' championship.
- ^ "McLaren unveils title contender". ITV. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
- ^ "De la Rosa debuts the MP4-23 in Spain". Formula1.com. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2016.