The McLaren MP4/14 was a Formula One car built and designed by the McLaren-Mercedes team to compete in the 1999 Formula One World Championship. Designed primarily by Neil Oatley and Henri Durand under the direction of Adrian Newey, Mario Illien provided McLaren with its bespoke engine. The car gave Mika Häkkinen his second Formula One Drivers' Championship in a row, but McLaren was unable to defend their title in the World Constructors' Championship, losing narrowly to Scuderia Ferrari.
Overview The MP4/14 was the fastest car of the season, with aerodynamics that were even more advanced than the previous year's all-conquering MP4/13, while the Mercedes engine remained the most powerful on the grid. However, serious reliability problems, as well as errors by the drivers, meant that the Constructors' Championship was won by Ferrari.
Steering wheel Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard used different shaped MP4/14 steering wheels. Häkkinen's version was the butterfly-style wheel, and Coulthard's included a lower grip. McLaren used four gearshift paddles in the MP4/14. The two blue paddles are the gear selectors, while the lower pair allow the driver to operate the clutch with either hand.
Sponsorship and livery McLaren used the "West" logos, except at the French, British and Belgian Grands Prix; they were replaced with a "double stars" logo in Britain, while in France and Belgium by the drivers' first names.
Complete Formula One results (key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points WCC 1999 McLaren Mercedes V10 AUS BRA SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA EUR MAL JPN 124 2nd Mika Häkkinen Ret 1 Ret 3 1 1 2 Ret 3 Ret 1 2 Ret 5 3 1 David Coulthard Ret Ret 2 Ret 2 7 Ret 1 2 5 2 1 5 Ret Ret Ret
References AUTOCOURSE 1999-2000, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1999)
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