McLaren arrived at the 2024 Monterey Car Week celebrating its “remarkable racing history” and how its F1 pedigree continues to influence its models today. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of its first of many Formula 1 World Championships.
The firm says that 1974 “represents a landmark year” in its history as Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi became the first World Drivers’ Champion behind the wheel of a McLaren as well as the youngest world champion at the time. The team also secured its first World Constructors’ Championship.
The double victory was the first of many with the team achieving it goal four years after the tragic death of founder Bruce McLaren in July 1970. Since then, t has won 12 World Drivers’ Championships and eight World Constructors’ titles, cementing a real pedigree in motorsports.
To mark the occasion, Fittipaldi’s 1974 title-winning M23 will be on display. The car has won 16 Grand Prix and an additional World Drivers’ Championship with James Hunt behind the wheel making it one of the most successful Formula 1 designs of all time.
This year, McLaren has marked Ayrton Senna’s incredible legacy three decades after his death with the reveal of special cars at the Monaco Grand Prix including a special McLaren Senna with unique livery.
The inaugural McLaren Trophy America championship will take place in 2025. The 10 round championship for bespoke McLaren race cars based on the same track-bred DNA as their road-going counterparts will begin in March and will include races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Circuit of the Americas. This inclusive series provides competitive racing for amateur GT drivers and aspiring professional drivers. And at The Quail, an exciting development for the series will be shown.
