McLaren is one of the most successful teams in F1’s history.
They have had some of the greatest F1 drivers of all time behind the wheel, who have won multiple championships and taken iconic victories for McLaren. They have won nine Constructors’ Championships, the latest in 2024, and 12 Drivers’ Championships.
They dominated the sport from the mid-1980s and continued to win championships until the late 1990s. McLaren were also home to the greatest rivalry the sport has ever seen.
Here, we look at the five greatest drivers to race in F1 for McLaren.
Photo by Sutton/Getty Images5. Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda was already a well-established legend of the sport by the time he joined McLaren. Lauda had two world championships to his name from the 1970s with Ferrari.
Lauda returned from a near-fatal crash in 1976 to win the title in 1977, earning the unwavering respect and admiration of motorsport fans.
He left at the end of that season and retired for the first time in 1979. He then returned to racing in ‘82 when he joined McLaren. There were doubts about Lauda’s ability to win due to his three-year absence from the sport, but the Austrian quickly quieted those notions with a victory at Long Beach in his third race back.
Remembering Niki Lauda on what would have been his 75th birthday. A supreme talent both on and off the track with a legendary legacy in our sport. 🧡 pic.twitter.com/gTkSa09WOu
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 22, 2024
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McLaren didn’t compete for the championship in 1982 or ‘83, but the following season Lauda and teammate Alain Prost dominated. Lauda beat the up-and-coming Prost to the title for his third championship by half a point, due to a shortened Monaco Grand Prix.
The now three-time world champion retired for the final time a year later, after winning McLaren their first Drivers’ title in a decade. He won eight races and a championship with the team, setting the stage for McLaren to dominate the next 15 years of F1.
4. Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen was a reserve driver for McLaren when he joined the team in 1993 and went on to become a two-time champion. He waited patiently for his opportunity behind Ayrton Senna and Michael Andretti.
Häkkinen was given his opportunity midway through the season and outqualified the legendary Senna in Portugal. He then took a podium in Japan, and was named the team’s full-time driver in 1994.
Two years on from a near-fatal crash in Australia, Häkkinen won his first race in 1997 at the European Grand Prix, then won the Driver’s title the following season.
In a car designed by genius Adrian Newey, he won eight races and beat Michael Schumacher by four points to win the championship. The Finn won the final two races of the season in Luxembourg and Japan to clinch the title.
Häkkinen repeated his championship win in 1999, in more unfortunate circumstances. Schumacher missed six races with a broken leg, allowing Häkkinen to win the title with five race wins.
That was the final championship won before Schumacher’s dominance with Ferrari in the early 2000s. Häkkinen retired in 2002 with 20 wins and two championships to his name.
3. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton, arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time, earned the majority of his accolades with Mercedes in the 2010s. However, the seven-time world champion won his first title with McLaren in his second season.
He was rapid as a rookie in 2007. Hamilton almost won the championship, losing by just one point to Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen. The Brit set a then-record for most podiums in a rookie year with 12, and won four races.
The next season, Hamilton took the championship from Räikkönen’s teammate, Felipe Massa, in one of the most dramatic ends to a season in F1 history. He became the youngest world champion in the sport’s history at the time.
With five victories on the year, including a historic wet-weather performance at Silverstone, Hamilton entered the Brazilian Grand Prix as the championship leader. But by the time Massa crossed the line in Brazil, Hamilton needed to gain one more position to win the title.
He was hunting down Glock in changing conditions, Hamilton on the wet tyres and Glock on the dry. He made the move on the final corner, passing him for the title.
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull dominated the next era of F1. Hamilton simply did not have the car to compete for a championship in the next four seasons.
He left for Mercedes in one of the biggest driver moves in F1 history in 2014, and the rest is history. But with 21 wins, 60 podiums and a world championship, he remains one of the best to ever suit up in a McLaren.
2. Alain Prost
Prost drove for McLaren in his rookie season in 1980, but left for two seasons to join Renault. The Frenchman returned in 1984, however, and was one half of the most iconic rivalry the sport has seen.
Prost missed out on the ‘84 championship by half a point to teammate Lauda. He equalled the record for most wins in a season with seven, and lost the championship by the narrowest margin in F1’s history.
Prost went on to win his first championship in 1985 by 20 points, forcing Lauda into retirement. Lauda said of Prost, “I had this perfect car, and then this French pain-in-the-a– arrives and blows me away. If he hadn’t turned up, I’d have gone on for another few years.”
He defended his championship in 1986 against the Williams of Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell, this time in dramatic fashion. Mansell needed to finish third to win the championship in Australia.
Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images
He was running third, then suffered a rear tyre failure and crashed out. Williams pitted Piquet to avoid the same fate, allowing Prost to win the race and the title. He was the first driver to repeat in 26 years.
In 1988, McLaren had a choice between Piquet and Senna to pair with Prost. The Frenchman suggested Senna over the three-time champion Piquet, and the rest was history. They were given a dominant car for the next two seasons and started a famous rivalry.
Senna beat Prost to the championship in 1988, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Prost was in the top two in every race he finished. He won seven races and outscored his new teammate Senna by 11 points, but Senna was named champion.
Under the 1988 rules, only the 11 best results from the season counted toward a driver’s championship total.
Next season, Prost beat Senna to win his third driver’s title. It was in a controversial fashion. He led the Brazilian by 16 points entering the penultimate race of the season, meaning Senna needed two wins.
Prost and Senna collided with seven laps to go. Senna divebombed Prost down the inside of the chicane, but Prost didn’t yield, putting them both out of the race and crowning Prost champion. He later said, “I did not [crash] on purpose, I did not open the door.”
Prost left for Ferrari at the end of that season, leaving McLaren as a three-time champion with 19 wins.
1. Ayrton Senna
Senna arrived at McLaren as the hottest young talent in the sport. He’d won eight races in three seasons at Lotus and finished third in the championship in 1987.
He joined McLaren and immediately won the title against the then two-time champion, Prost. He set the record for the most wins in a season with eight, as the McLaren pair won 15 of the 16 races that season.
The following season, Senna took an early lead in the championship with victories in San Marino, Monaco, and Mexico. Senna led every lap of those races, a feat unequalled until Vettel replicated it in 2012.
But Prost came back to win the title following the controversy in Japan. The Frenchman then left for Ferrari, continuing their rivalry with the Scuderia.
Senna returned the favour in 1990 on the way to the championship. He crashed into Prost at turn one on the opening lap, securing his second championship. The Brazilian again had a hot start to the championship, but Prost cut his lead to nine points with two races to go.
The crash in Japan ended Prost’s hopes, however, and Senna reclaimed his title. He then became the youngest back-to-back champion and the youngest three-time champion in F1 history in 1991.
The McLaren was not as dominant as previous seasons, and Senna fought tooth-and-nail with Mansell in the Williams. It was an up-and-down season littered with costly errors from Senna. He won the first four races but retired several times throughout the year.
He claimed the championship in Japan once again, as Mansell went off and beached himself in the gravel. It was his final championship before Williams’ dominance.
Senna left for Williams in 1994, before his tragic death at the San Marino Grand Prix. He won 35 races with the team and three championships, and will be forever remembered as a legend of F1.