<< Prev Page 2 of 2 McLaren retained the existing driver line-up of World Champion Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger. Despite the extensive testing and development program, Senna in particular was not convinced that Honda made the right decision to switch to a V12. He strongly believed that it just was not powerful enough to compensate for its added bulk. Honda did not help matters much by supplying a conservatively tuned specification for the opening races to ensure reliability.
Perhaps to the surprise of all involved, the Brazilian need not have worried as he managed to convert a pole position in the opening round at Phoenix into a convincing victory. Senna would go on to win the next three races as well. Halfway through the season, the Williams FW14 Renault really came to the fore. Senna and McLaren soldiered on and won a further four rounds, while Berger also added a victory to the MP4/6's tally.
Despite the doubts at the start of the season, Senna and McLaren once again ended the year as World Champions, while Berger placed fourth in the standings. For 1992, Honda built a more compact V12 engine but the MP4/7 nevertheless proved incapable of matching the now well-honed Williams Renault. As it turned out the 1991 season yielded Ayrton Senna's third and final Championship, while for the McLaren-Honda combination it was the fourth and for now final title. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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McLaren retained the existing driver line-up of World Champion Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger. Despite the extensive testing and development program, Senna in particular was not convinced that Honda made the right decision to switch to a V12. He strongly believed that it just was not powerful enough to compensate for its added bulk. Honda did not help matters much by supplying a conservatively tuned specification for the opening races to ensure reliability.