McLaren M23
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Emerson Fittipaldi in the McLaren M23 at the 1974 British Grand Prix. | |||||||||
Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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Constructor | McLaren Racing | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Gordon Coppuck | ||||||||
Predecessor | M19C | ||||||||
Successor | M26 | ||||||||
Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||
Chassis | Aluminium monocoque. | ||||||||
Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, with inboard coilover shock absorbers. | ||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone. | ||||||||
Axle track | 62 in (157 cm) | ||||||||
Wheelbase | 101 in (257 cm) | ||||||||
Engine | Ford-Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90° V8, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted. | ||||||||
Transmission | Hewland FG400 5/6-speed manual gearbox. | ||||||||
Weight | 575 kg (1,268 lb) | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | Yardley Team McLaren Marlboro Team Texaco Marlboro Team McLaren | ||||||||
Notable drivers | Denny Hulme Peter Revson Jochen Mass Mike Hailwood Emerson Fittipaldi James Hunt | ||||||||
Debut | 1973 South African Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Constructors' Championships | 1 (1974) | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 2 (1974: Fittipaldi; 1976: Hunt) | ||||||||
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
The McLaren M23 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck, with input from John Barnard, and built by the McLaren team. It was a development of the McLaren M16 Indianapolis 500 car. A Ford Cosworth DFV engine was used, which was prepared by specialist tuning company Nicholson Engines. This helped push the DFV's horsepower output to around 490 bhp.
Chassis
M23-1
The first of four McLaren M23s built for the 1973 season, this car was raced exclusively by Denny Hulme that year. He used it to win the Swedish Grand Prix and also finished on the podium at the British Grand Prix and the Race of Champions. For a select few races in 1974, M23-1 was campaigned by Mike Hailwood, with a third in the South African Grand Prix as the best result. Restored to its 1973 configuration and colors, it is today owned by an enthusiast from New Zeeland.
M23-3
First presented into service in the summer of 1973, this is the third M23 built and the one with the fewest race starts. Entrusted to Jody Scheckter, M23-3 debuted at the French Grand Prix where an accident ended the South African's race early. A fortnight later, during the British Grand Prix, the exact same happened and Scheckter did not race an M23 again until later in the year. Restored to Peter Revson's colors, the third M23 is today owned by and American historic racer.
M23-4
The final M23 completed in 1973, this cassis debuted in the hands of Jacky Ickx at the German Grand Prix, where the Belgian placed third. It was then raced by McLaren regular Peter Revson, who went on to win the Canadian Grand Prix, while also placing third in the Italian Grand Prix. Chassis M23-4 continued to serve into the 1975 season with Emerson Fittipaldi, Denny Hulme, David Hobbs and Jochen Mass all having a go. The best result in a World Championship event in 1974 came at the Swedish Grand Prix where Fittipaldi placed fourth. Restored to the car's 1974 colors and configuration, it was owned and raced for several years by Brazilian Abba Kogan. It is believed to have changed hands since then.
M23-5
Reportedly Fittipaldi's favorite M23, chasis 5 was the first new car built for his 1974 World Championship winning campaign. He used it to score wins at the Brazilian Grand Prix and Belgian Grand Prix, while he also won a non-championship event in Brazil. In addition Fittipaldi also placed M23-5 on the podium at Jarama and Zandvoort. Following an engine-related retirement int he French Grand Prix, the fifth McLaren M23 was not raced again. Chassis M23-5 was subsequently part of the hugely impressive Jacques Setton collection but now has been re-acquired by McLaren.
Competition history
It was introduced for the 1973 season, and scored pole position with Denny Hulme on its very first outing. Hulme and Peter Revson took three wins between them that season, while rookie Jody Scheckter nearly added a fourth. Scheckter was responsible for one of the biggest accidents Formula One has ever seen, at the 1973 British Grand Prix, when he spun his M23 in front of the pack. Emerson Fittipaldi joined McLaren from Lotus in 1974. His knowledge of the Lotus 72 helped McLaren develop the M23 and that season Fittipaldi gave McLaren its first drivers' and constructors' world championships, beating Ferrari, Tyrrell and Lotus.
Further development in 1975 – including a 6-speed gearbox, a novelty for the time – helped Fittipaldi to second in the drivers' championship behind Niki Lauda, who had the benefit of Ferrari's 312T chassis and McLaren to third in the constructors' championship, behind Ferrari and Brabham. The team experimented with different bodywork styles, including aerodynamic kickups in front of the rear wheels, different nose profiles and extended bodywork in front of the rear wheels, housing the oil coolers. Most of these changes were adopted for the M23 and its successor, the McLaren M26. At the end of 1975 Fittipaldi left the team to join his brother's Copersucar-sponsored Fittipaldi Automotive team. He was replaced by James Hunt, who went on to win a dramatic and controversial 1976 season with the final evolution M23, the M23D.
When the replacement McLaren M26 proved troublesome, Hunt and Jochen Mass relied on the M23 in the early part of the 1977 season, and even though the car was now four years old it was still competitive.
The M23 was never the most technically advanced F1 car, but sound preparation and continual development helped it win 16 Grands Prix, two drivers' and one constructors' world championships in its lifetime.
The M23 was also modified for use in Formula 5000 racing. Australian driver John McCormack drove a Leyland powered M23 to win the 1977 Australian Drivers' Championship. McCormack also put his M23 on pole for the 1978 Australian Grand Prix.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
Works team entries
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1973 | M23 | Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |
G | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | GBR | NED | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | 58* | 3rd | |||
Denny Hulme | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 3 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 4 | ||||||||||
Peter Revson | 4 | Ret | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 9 | Ret | 3 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||
Jody Scheckter | Ret | DNS | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
Jacky Ickx | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1974 | M23B | Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |
G | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | 73 (75) | 1st | |||
Emerson Fittipaldi | 10 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
Denny Hulme | 1 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 | 7 | DSQ | 2 | 6 | 6 | Ret | ||||||||
Mike Hailwood | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 7 | Ret | 15 | ||||||||||||
David Hobbs | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Jochen Mass | 16 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1975 | M23C | Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |
G | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | USA | 53 | 3rd | ||||
Emerson Fittipaldi | 1 | 2 | Ret | DNS | 2 | 7 | 8 | Ret | 4 | 1 | Ret | 9 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
Jochen Mass | 14 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | 7 | Ret | 4 | Ret | 3 | |||||||||
1976 | M23D | Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |
G | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | USA | JPN | 74 (75) | 2nd | ||
James Hunt | Ret | 2 | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 5 | 1 | DSQ | 1 | 4 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
Jochen Mass | 6 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 6 | 5 | 11 | 15 | Ret | 3 | 7 | Ret | 5 | 4 | Ret | ||||||||
1977 | M23E | Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 |
G | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | JPN | 60* | 3rd | |
James Hunt | Ret | 2 | 4 | 7 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||
Jochen Mass | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 4 | 4 | Ret | 2 | 9 | ||||||||||||||
Gilles Villeneuve | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bruno Giacomelli | Ret |
* 12 points in 1973 scored using the M19A and M19C
* 39 points in 1977 scored using the M26
Non-works entries
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | |||||||
Scribante Lucky Strike Racing | M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Dave Charlton | 19 | |||||||||||||||||
1975 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | USA | ||||||||
Lucky Strike Racing | M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Dave Charlton | 14 | |||||||||||||||||
1977 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | JPN | |||||
Iberia Airlines | M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Emilio de Villota | 13 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 17 | DNQ | |||||||||||
Chesterfield Racing | M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Brett Lunger | DNS | 11 | DNQ | 13 | Ret | 10 | 9 | Ret | 10 | 11 | ||||||||
1978 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | MON | BEL | ESP | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | ||||||
Liggett Group/ B&S Fabrications |
M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Brett Lunger | 13 | Ret | 11 | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
Nelson Piquet | Ret | Ret | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
Centro Aseguredor F1 | M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Emilio de Villota | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
Melchester Racing | M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | Tony Trimmer | DNQ |
References
- F1 Racing magazine, January 2001
- Motor Sport (magazine), August 2002
- ^ "McLaren M23 Cosworth". Ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 25 May 2010.