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Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren M23 1974 Britain
Emerson Fittipaldi in the McLaren M23 at the 1974 British Grand Prix.
McLaren M23
Race Car
Category Formula One
Constructor McLaren Racing
Designer Gordon Coppuck
Predecessor M19C
Successor M26
Chassis Aluminium monocoque.
Suspension (front) Double wishbone, with inboard coilover shock absorbers.
Suspension (rear) Double wishbone.
Engine Ford-Cosworth DFV 2993 cc (183 cu.in.) 90° V8, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted.
Electric_motor {{{Electric motor}}}
Battery {{{Battery}}}
Power {{{Power}}}
Transmission Hewland FG400 5/6-speed manual gearbox.
Weight 575 kg (1,268 lb)
Fuel
Brakes {{{Brakes}}}
Tyres
Notable entrants Yardley Team McLaren
Marlboro Team Texaco
Marlboro Team McLaren
Notable drivers 25px New Zealand Denny Hulme
25px USA Peter Revson
25px West Germany Jochen Mass
25px Great Britain Mike Hailwood
25px Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi
25px Great Britain James Hunt
Debut 1973 South African Grand Prix
Races competed 83
Race victories 16
Podiums {{{Podiums}}}
Constructors' Championships {{{Constructor's Championships}}}
Drivers' Championships {{{Driver's Championships}}}
Pole positions 14
Fastest laps 10


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.

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.

McLaren M23 without bodywork

A McLaren M23 with much of its bodywork and front wing removed, Cosworth DFV visible in the rear. Note the exposed pedals between the front wheels and minimal upper-body crash protection, very different from today's F1 cars.

Further development in 1975 – including a 6-speed gearbox, a novelty for the time – helped Fittipaldi and McLaren to second in both championships behind Niki Lauda, who had the benefit of Ferrari's 312T chassis. 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.

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.

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 Ret 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
  • Motorsport magazine, August 2002


External links[]


Smallwikipedialogo.png This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at McLaren M23. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Autopedia, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


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