The McLaren MP4/2 was a Formula One car developed by McLaren for the 1984 Formula One Season. The McLaren MP4/2B iteration was used in 1985 and the McLaren MP4/2C was used in 1986. The design was closely based on the MP4/1E, which McLaren was using as a test car for the new TAG-Porsche turbocharged engine at the end of 1983.
Like it's predecessor, the MP4/2 was constructed out of carbon fibre. The car was also one of the few cars to use carbon brakes at the time, which gave them an advantage at most circuits, except for street circuits and hot conditions, since steel brakes had better longevity in these conditions.
The new TAG-Porsche turbo engine brought the team on par with their rivals, with turbo engines proving to significantly out-perform the naturally aspirated engines of the time. The car's aerodynamic package was very refined and improved with each iteration of the car.
The car was a dominant force, as proven in only the second round of 1984 at South Africa, in which both McLaren cars managed to lap every other car in the field. This was despite Alain Prost starting the race from the pit lane. McLaren won 12 of the 16 races that year, securing the World Constructors' Championship for the first time since 1974. Niki Lauda scored his third and final World Drivers' Championship title in the car.
For 1985, the team introduced a B-spec car with an improved aerodynamic package. The wings of the car were also redesigned to comply with the new regulations which banned winglets on the rear wing. The car's suspension was also modified to accommodate the switch to Goodyear tyres after Michelin withdrew from the sport.
The rest of the teams had made up some lost ground to McLaren, providing better competition for McLaren, who were very much running a race of their own in 1984. A string of mechanical retirements in the first half of the season seriously hindered Lauda's championship performance, leaving Prost to win his first of four championship titles with 11 podium finishes, 5 of which were victories. McLaren also comfortably secured the constructors' title ahead of Ferrari.
The team again made some aerodynamic tweaks to the car, declaring it the MP4/2C. Keke Rosberg joined the team following the retirement of Lauda. However, the car did not suit Rosberg's driving style and he was not allowed to make any setup changes to the car. This hurt his performance and it wasn't until he announced that he was retiring at the end of the season.
As with the season prior, other teams had made progress in their cars and were able to challenge McLaren. Williams took over McLaren's spot at the top of the championship by the end of the season, although Prost still managed to narrowly secure a second championship title for himself with another 4 race wins from 11 total podiums.
Bernard left the team at the end of the season to take a job on Ferrari, leaving Steve Nichols to develop the successor to the MP4/2, the MP4/3.
Race Victories[]
| Year | Event | Driver | Notes |
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| 1984 | Brazilian Grand Prix |  Alain Prost
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Fastest lap |
| South African Grand Prix |  Niki Lauda
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| San Marino Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| French Grand Prix | Niki Lauda
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| Monaco Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Pole and fastest lap | |
| British Grand Prix | Niki Lauda
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Fastest lap | |
| German Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Pole and fastest lap | |
| Austrian Grand Prix | Niki Lauda
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Fastest lap | |
| Dutch Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Pole | |
| Italian Grand Prix | Niki Lauda
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Fastest lap | |
| European Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| Portuguese Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| 1985 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Fastest lap |
| Monaco Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| British Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Fastest lap | |
| Austrian Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Pole | |
| Dutch Grand Prix | Niki Lauda
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| Italian Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| 1986 | San Marino Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| Monaco Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Pole and fastest lap | |
| Austrian Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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| Australian Grand Prix | Alain Prost
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Complete Formula One Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Car | Tyre | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
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| MP4/2 | M | Prost
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1st | 2nd | Ret | 1st | 7th | 1stP | 3rd | 4th | Ret | Ret | 1stP | Ret | 1stP | Ret | 1st | 1st | |
| Lauda
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Ret | 1st | Ret | Ret | 1st | Ret | 2nd | Ret | Ret | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 4th | 2nd | |||
| 1985 |
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| MP4/2B | G | Prost
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1st | Ret | DSQ | 1st | 3rd | Ret | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 1stP | 2nd | 1st | 3rdP | 4th | 3rd | Ret | |
| Lauda
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Ret | Ret | 4th | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5th | Ret | 1st | Ret | PO | Ret | Ret | ||||
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7th | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 |
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| MP4/2C | G | Prost
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Ret | 3rd | 1st | 1stP | 6th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 6th | Ret | 1st | DSQ | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | |
 Rosberg
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Ret | 4th | 5th | 2nd | Ret | 4th | Ret | 4th | Ret | 5thP | Ret | 9th | 4th | Ret | Ret | Ret | |||
| Key | |||||
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| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
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