<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Very quick straight out of the box, the MP4-13 was driven to a one-two victory by Hakkinen and Coulthard at the first race of the season. Finishing nose to tail, the two McLaren drivers had lapped the entire field. Ferrari was quick to protest McLaren's innovative asymmetric braking system, which allowed the driver to use the brakes to steer. Even though the system received the green light over the winter, the stewards agreed with Ferrari ahead of the second race. McLaren did not protest and deactivated the system. Little of the advantage was lost as the McLarens finished in the same order again.
Ferrari bounced back with Michael Schumacher winning round three. The scene was set for a season long battle between Schumacher and Hakkinen. After four wins in the first six races, Hakkinen began to struggle, winning just two of the subsequent eight rounds. This allowed Schumacher to make up most of the ground lost. Hakkinen bounced back with a win in the penultimate round and then produced one of his best drives at the season finale at Suzuka. His eighth win of the season secured the first driver's and constructor's titles for McLaren since the early 1990s.
Over the winter the MP4-13 evolved into the MP4-14, which was once again used to great effect by Hakkinen and Coulthard, adding another driver's championship to McLaren's long list of successes. With nine wins in sixteen attempts, the MP4-13 was a huge success and more importantly decisively pulled McLaren from the doldrums. In 1999, test driver Nick Heidfeld added one more achievement to the car's tally by setting a new record on the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill-climb. His time of 41.6 seconds remains unbeaten to this day. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Very quick straight out of the box, the MP4-13 was driven to a one-two victory by Hakkinen and Coulthard at the first race of the season. Finishing nose to tail, the two McLaren drivers had lapped the entire field. Ferrari was quick to protest McLaren's innovative asymmetric braking system, which allowed the driver to use the brakes to steer. Even though the system received the green light over the winter, the stewards agreed with Ferrari ahead of the second race. McLaren did not protest and deactivated the system. Little of the advantage was lost as the McLarens finished in the same order again.