<< Prev Page 3 of 3 During the winter Barnard only made subtle changes to the all-conquering design. In accordance with revised regulations a smaller rear wing was fitted and the suspension was modified to accommodate for the switch from Michelin to Goodyear rubber. The existing cars were updated to MP4/2B and three additional cars were built. The sixth MP4/2 chassis was the first carbon-fibre tub built in-house by McLaren. The revised machine continued where the original had left as Prost won the opening round of the new season. The competition had gotten stronger and Lauda in particular struggled. Prost won five races and, in his final season, Lauda took one victory. It was enough for Prost to win his first driver's title and McLaren again bagged the constructor's crown.
Further refinements were made over the winter with the introduction of an all-new six speed gearbox as the biggest change. Revised regulations mandated a smaller fuel tank, so brand new tubs were needed for the MP4/2C. Lauda's vacant seat was taken by another ex-world champion; Keke Rosberg. Now in its third season, the MP4/2 certainly was no longer the fastest car in the field, not even in race trim. The Honda engined Williams had a clear edge. Prost nevertheless took four wins and was as consistent as ever. Surprisingly he managed to collect enough points to beat the Williams drivers Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell to the title; they seemed more interested in beating each other than Prost.
Before the season was over, Barnard left and his replacement Steve Nicholls designed a brand new car for 1987. This MP4/3 was once again powered by the TAG-Porsche engine. It did not prove to be a big enough step forward to catch the Williams Hondas. In the final season with the German engine, Prost won 'just' three races. After little over four seasons, the highly successful partnership, which had resulted in 25 race wins, three driver's titles and two constructor's titles, came to an end. The MP4/2 TAG-Porsche provided McLaren with the final push to return to the very top; a place it would not relinquish for many seasons to come. Prost's ultra-smooth driving style was perfectly suited to the car and 'Le Professeur' more than vindicated himself after being fired by Renault. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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During the winter Barnard only made subtle changes to the all-conquering design. In accordance with revised regulations a smaller rear wing was fitted and the suspension was modified to accommodate for the switch from Michelin to Goodyear rubber. The existing cars were updated to MP4/2B and three additional cars were built. The sixth MP4/2 chassis was the first carbon-fibre tub built in-house by McLaren. The revised machine continued where the original had left as Prost won the opening round of the new season. The competition had gotten stronger and Lauda in particular struggled. Prost won five races and, in his final season, Lauda took one victory. It was enough for Prost to win his first driver's title and McLaren again bagged the constructor's crown.