Despite looking similar to its 2006 predecessor, this 2007 MP4-22 was one of the most competitive cars of the season; managing to net eight Championship wins – a whole eight more than the previous year! This particular car was driven by Lewis Hamilton in his debut year for Mclaren. The other Mclaren driver was making their debut for the team this year too in the form of Fernando Alonso. This all seems so long ago….
Sporting the new title sponsor livery of Vodafone, the only other visible changes came from the regulation switch to a single tyre supplier – Bridgestone – hence the car sitting on a set of Potenza’s.
With the help of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the development of the MP4-22 had already begun back in 2006. This long-term design strategy obviously paid off for Mclaren as it contributed to its low downforce package and newly-incorporated crash protection. The MP4-22 was also the most reliable car of the season with no mechanical retirements in any race.
It was voted Racing Car of the Year at the Autosport awards in 2007.
A few stats…
Chassis
Length: 4749mm
Width: 1795mm
Height: 1100mm
Weight: 600kg
Suspension Dampers: Koni
Race Wheels: Enkei
Engine
Type: Mercedes Benz V8 N/A, 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC.
Displacement: 2398cc
Power Output: 765bhp
Transmission
Type: Mclaren 7-speed semi-auto
Results
Grand Prix Wins: Canada, USA, Hungary & Japan – with a matching number of wins from Alonso.
Pole Positions: 6
First World Motoring 