How McLaren defined ten days at the European GP

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How McLaren defined ten days at the European GP

McLaren has never won in Valencia, but we’ve had plenty of success at other European Grand Prix venues. Here’s how the team defined 10 days in the history of the race:

1. October 7 1984 (Nurburgring)
The first Formula 1 race at the modern Nurburgring. Alain Prost jumps ahead of pole-sitter Nelson Piquet at the start and is never headed; Niki Lauda charges through the field from 15th on the grid to finish fourth. © LAT Photographic/Williams

2. October 6 1985 (Brands Hatch)
Prost is the first McLaren driver home at Brands Hatch, in fourth place. The result is made memorable because it secures the Frenchman the first of four world championship titles. Two more (1986 and 1989) were achieved with McLaren. © AP Photo/STF

3. April 11 1993 (Donington Park)
Ayrton Senna’s greatest victory? Certainly his most memorable. He drops to fifth place at the start, but overtakes four cars in the atrocious conditions to lead the race at the end of lap one. He’s never headed thereafter and sets fastest lap to ram home his domination around Donington Park. © AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere

4. October 26 1997 (Jerez)
When Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve collide on lap 48 at Jerez, the path is clear for McLaren to score its first European GP one-two. With three laps remaining, Mika Hakkinen passes teammate David Coulthard to take his first F1 victory at the 96th attempt. © AP Photo/Edgar Schoepal

5. May 21 2000 (Nurburgring)
Coulthard starts from pole, but drops to third on the run to Turn 1, behind Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher. Hakkinen leads until the final round of pitstops, when Schumacher jumps ahead. It’s a McLaren two-three. © AP Photo/Roland Weihrauch

6. June 29 2003 (Nurburgring)
Pole position and fastest lap prove that Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest man at the Nurburgring. He leads from the start, but is forced to retire after 25 laps. “Mine was the fastest car,” he says afterwards, “but sometimes it’s just not your day.” © 06 AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz

7. July 22 2007 (Nurburgring)
The race is suspended after two laps due to a rainstorm. When it re-starts, Felipe Massa leads from Fernando Alonso – until Alonso grabs the lead from Massa after muscling past with just four laps remaining. © Keystone/EPA/Jens Buettners/AP Images

8. August 24 2008 (Valencia)
Lewis Hamilton overcomes a dose of flu and a neck spasm to come home in second place at Valencia’s inaugural race. Teammate Heikki Kovalainen starts fifth and finishes fourth in the second MP4-23. © AP Photo/Fernando Bustamante

9. August 23 2009 (Valencia)
Hamilton does everything right: he takes pole position ahead of Kovalainen and leads the race until his second and final pitstop. Unfortunately, a delay in the pits allows Rubens Barrichello to sneak past into the lead. “Second’s not so bad,” he says. “We win and lose as a team.” © AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano

10. June 27 2010 (Valencia)
Hamilton makes a brilliant start from third on the grid to challenge race leader Sebastian Vettel into Turn 2. They make contact: Vettel continues unscathed, Hamilton has to deal with a slight vibration for the remainder of the race. In the end, Hamilton comes home second, seven seconds ahead of his McLaren teammate Jenson Button. © AP Photo/Alberto Saiz