McLaren Mercedes MP4/12 - 1997
This is the McLaren Mercedes MP4/12 that was Mika Hakkinen's car for the 1997 Formula One season. His team mate that year was David Coultard. It was the first time in 23 years that McLaren had moved away from using the red and white colour scheme of Marlboro.
The MP4/12 boasts a 3.8 litre V8 Twin Turbo engine developing approximately 595bhp. The car was invalided at the McLaren factory on 14th of January 1997, and it definitely turns some heads with its new designed livery.
The McLaren MP4/12 was close to the front-runners from the very first race of the season at Melbourne Australia, where David Coultard led the race from the first set of pit stops right to the chequered flag. Coultard also drove the MP4/12 to victory at the Italian GP at Monza, also gaining two 2nd place finishes at the European Gp and the Austrian GP. Mika Hakkinen also drove the car to victory at the European GP at Jerez. But ultimately, the season was to be a difficult one for the team, who suffered from reliability issues throughout the year.
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