<< Prev Page 2 of 2 It was not all good news for McLaren as the relationship between Senna and Prost rapidly deteriorated and for most of the season, the two drivers hardly spoke a word. Behind the scene, the development of the car also continued. One of it weaknesses was its bulk, which was addressed during the season with many subtle changes like the switch to a different brake supplier. A more fundamental change was the introduction of a new transverse gearbox at the British Grand Prix, which initially was not quite bullet proof.
McLaren's chief rivals during the season were Williams and Ferrari, who won five races between them. This was no match for the ten races won by Prost and Senna in the MP4/5. Unfortunately for Senna, his strong run at the start of the season did not continue, which allowed Prost to come back. The championship was ultimately sealed at the Japanese Grand Prix where the two rivals infamously crashed into each other. McLaren and Prost ended the year as champions but the Frenchman had already announced his departure to head to Ferrari in 1990.
Over the winter, the development continued and the car evolved into the MP4/5B, which boasted a stronger monocoque, revised suspension geometry and an updated version of the Honda V10. Further changes were also made to the aerodynamics and the transverse gearbox. Replacing Prost was Austrian Gerhard Berger, who had driven for Ferrari the previous season. The preparations for the new season suffered a small blow when Senna all but destroyed the first MP4/5B in a testing accident. The team was nevertheless ready in time.
As in the two years before, the two chief rivals for the championship were Senna and Prost, although now operating from two different garages. Both drivers won six races but this time, Senna was more consistent and ended the year as World Champion. Although he scored no victory, Berger did score enough points to ensure that McLaren won the constructors' title for the third year running. The scope of the McLaren-Honda program was underlined by the fact that during the season, a part of the team was already running a V12-engined version of the MP4/5 in preparation for the 1991 campaign. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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It was not all good news for McLaren as the relationship between Senna and Prost rapidly deteriorated and for most of the season, the two drivers hardly spoke a word. Behind the scene, the development of the car also continued. One of it weaknesses was its bulk, which was addressed during the season with many subtle changes like the switch to a different brake supplier. A more fundamental change was the introduction of a new transverse gearbox at the British Grand Prix, which initially was not quite bullet proof.