<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Despite its difficult birth, the McLaren MP4/8 Ford was a very quick car straight out of the box. With Andretti still learning the ropes, Senna and McLaren faced a more than formidable adversary; Alain Prost. After a year away from F1, the French 'Professor' had taken 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell's seat at Williams. He immediately made his mark by clinching the pole at the season opener in the new Williams FW15C Renault. The race was not quite as straightforward and after starting from second, Senna took the lead from Prost twice. In the end there was little the Brazilian could do against the might of the Prost/Williams combination and he had to settle for second. Senna then made the most of the changeable conditions during his home Grand Prix to claim the new McLaren's first victory.
Next up was the European Grand Prix at Donnington, which was a new venue for Formula 1. The two Williams cars were superior during the practice sessions but on race day it rained. Senna started from fourth and dropped to fifth in the first corner. He then embarked on what remains as one of the most memorable laps in F1's history; he emerged from the final corner of that first lap in the lead. The weather changed constantly and Prost, for example, came to the pits seven times. Making better calls, Senna only stopped four times and won the race almost a lap ahead of Damon Hill in the faster of the two Williams. Prost finished third, a lap behind. With two victories in the first three races, it looked like a very promising start to the season for McLaren. It was, however, the brilliance of Senna in changeable conditions that had made the difference and the outright pace of the MP4/8. Andretti did not have the best debuts, completing only three laps in the first three races.
Alain Prost quickly restored the order, scoring back to back victories in San Marino and Spain. Monaco was next and Senna excelled once again, taking his fifth consecutive victory and sixth in total ant the principality. Prost won the next four races and his team-mate Hill took the next three. Thanks to his consistency, Senna kept in touch with Prost in the championship. Andretti's ill fortune continued and despite his first podium finish, at the Italian Grand Prix, he was replaced for the final three races by McLaren test driver Mika Hakkinen. He had never fully managed to accustom himself to the sophisticated Formula 1 cars. One of the big problems was his decision to remain based in the United States, which limited the time available for testing considerably. Andretti returned to the CART championship in 1994 and won the first race after leading every lap.
The first to break the Williams winning streak was Michael Schumacher in the factory backed Benetton Ford, at Estoril. Senna was back in his element at the penultimate race of the season; the Japanese Grand Prix. Around 20 laps into the race, it started to rain and he quickly closed the gap to leader Prost. Senna duly won the race and Hakkinen was third in only his second race for McLaren. In what was to be his last race for McLaren, Senna clinched his first pole position of the season at the Australian Grand Prix; preventing a Williams clean-sweep of poles. The Brazilian managed to continue this form in the race and led from start to finish. In was again a difficult season, he had managed to score enough points to claim second in the driver's championship. McLaren also finished the season in second and twelve points ahead of Benetton despite running one engine spec behind all year.
Long before the end of the season, Senna had announced his plans to switch from McLaren to Williams in 1994. He would fill the spot left vacant by world champion Prost, who had officially retired after the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. It would turn out to be a very tragic move as Senna lost his life during the San Marino Grand Prix, in only his fourth race for Williams. McLaren replaced Senna with the very experienced Martin Brundle and also switched to Peugeot power. Despite the works backing, the Peugeot V10 was lacklustre at best and a single podium finish for Hakkinen was well below McLaren's standards. In retrospect, the McLaren MP4/8 performed remarkably well, not in the least due to Senna's brilliance. It must have been particularly rewarding that Ford's official team, Benetton, was so thoroughly beaten. The last laugh, however, was for Ford and Benetton as they managed to win the 1994 title with Michael Schumacher. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Despite its difficult birth, the McLaren MP4/8 Ford was a very quick car straight out of the box. With Andretti still learning the ropes, Senna and McLaren faced a more than formidable adversary; Alain Prost. After a year away from F1, the French 'Professor' had taken 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell's seat at Williams. He immediately made his mark by clinching the pole at the season opener in the new Williams FW15C Renault. The race was not quite as straightforward and after starting from second, Senna took the lead from Prost twice. In the end there was little the Brazilian could do against the might of the Prost/Williams combination and he had to settle for second. Senna then made the most of the changeable conditions during his home Grand Prix to claim the new McLaren's first victory.