HONDA The Power of Dreams

The McLaren Honda MP4/5, winner of 10 out of 16 grands prix in the 1989 F1 World Championship and winner of both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, was undoubtedly a magnificent car. However, the MP4/4 of the previous year had won 15 out of 16 races, so this comparison is somewhat unfavorable. This is why the MP4/5 is often regarded as a symbol of McLaren Honda's struggle in its second year, but it was nonetheless, an astonishing car by any standard.

1989 is remembered as the year in which the F1 engine regulations changed dramatically: Turbo engines banned, replaced with 3.5L NA engines. In 1988, the penultimate year before turbos were banned, McLaren Honda boasted overwhelming strength in its first year as a team, but 1989 was the season for a fresh start with NA engines, a season of restart. (Some camps had been using the 3.5-liter NA since 1987-8).

Honda had a V10 RA109E on standby for 1989. The choice of the number of cylinders was based on a high-revving, high-output philosophy, with a view to developing a V12 in the future. At the time, some questioned whether five cylinders on each side would limit flexibility in exhaust pipe configuration. However, the RA109E proved that Honda was still the most powerful manufacturer even after engine regulations were drastically changed. Considering turbo engines had exceeded 1,000 horsepower, NA engines with less than 700 hp in their first year seemed somewhat wanting. However, Honda’s engines maintained a solid advantage. The V12 Ferrari and the Renault V10 Williams, which returned to F1 in 1989, challenged Honda, but McLaren Honda had the strongest driver lineup of Ayrton Senna (1988 champion) and Alain Prost (1985, 1986 champion). Although Honda did not have the same overwhelming dominance over the other teams in 1989 as in the previous year (which is why it is said to be a “year of struggle”), it was nonetheless the strongest.

Although the MP4/5 did not received the recognition it deserved for its achievements, there were other reasons besides the comparison with its overwhelming predecessor. It had lacked technical trials. At this time McLaren undeniably tended to be too conservative in its development of the car, placing absolute trust in the power of the Honda engine. The MP4/5 was seen as a NA version of the MP4/4 with some “changes,” such as placement of the air intake above the driver’s head, which is the most efficient position for the NA engine. While Ferrari had adopted a semi-automatic transmission, and was also taking innovative measures in aerodynamics and suspension with an emphasis on turning speed, McLaren’s approach seemed to be “make a machine that can take advantage of Honda’s engine power, whether turbo or NA.” At that time, McLaren had not yet realized that the turning performance of the chassis had to be pursued because it would no longer be able to rely solely on the engine in the NA era.

However, such a critical view came with hindsight. It is reasonable to assume that, given the success of the car, there was no need to innovate, and that the car should continue to mature in a conservative direction. In fact, McLaren won the constructor’s and drivers’ titles four years in a row until 1991 while relying on Honda’s engine power.

Also, considering the staffing situation at McLaren at that time, Gordon Murray, one of the car designers, was shifting his focus to the development of production cars (McLaren F1), and preparations for the 1989 MP4/5 were being carried out by Neil Oatley, who was one of Murray's assistants. This was also the background behind the MP4/5's adoption of the conservative line.

Senna and Prost had fought a fierce battle for the title the previous year, but from the outside, they had seemed peaceful. This year was different. The feud had begun early in the season. In Round 2, San Marino, a gentlemen’s agreement to abide by the first turn position and not to fight in the first half of the race was broken, and both drivers were furious. It is said that from mid-season onward, it was as if there were two different teams under the same roof, and Senna and Prost only provided technical information to each other through their respective engineers. Prost decided in the summer to leave the team the following year, and Senna gradually lost passion in the F1 world in general.

The number 2 McLaren Honda MP4/5 was Prost’s car. At the end of the season, when controversy of Senna’s disqualification swirled, with some FIA leaders siding with him, the existence of the car with 10 wins in 16 races was seemingly forgotten. The fact that it was the car driven by the two main protagonists in the shocking drama of the Suzuka race makes it a rare masterpiece. Although the car won the championship, it failed to surpass its predecessor in terms of records, and its presence was diminished by political disputes. It is now, however, a machine that will remain in both records and memories.