McLaren epic journey to legendary Formula 1 landmark of 1000 Grand Prix starts
F1 HistoryWednesday, 03 June 2026 at 07:30
When McLaren line up on the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix on 7 June, the Woking team will reach a milestone achieved by only one other team in Formula 1 history: 1000 Grand Prix starts.
McLaren will make history at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix by becoming only the second team in Formula 1 history to reach 1000 World Championship race starts.
The milestone puts the Woking based team alongside Ferrari in one of the sport's most exclusive clubs and comes at the circuit where the team's Formula 1 story began 60 years ago.
Bruce McLaren entered the team's first Formula 1 race in Monaco in 1966 with a small operation that few could have imagined would grow into one of the most successful teams in motorsport history. Today, McLaren arrive back in the principality as reigning Drivers' and Constructors' World Champions.
Only Ferrari have achieved more success in Formula 1. Hitting the number at the 2020 Tuscany Grand Prix. Monaco this weeken will be the Scuderia's 128th Grand Prix weekend.
McLaren's record includes 203 Grand Prix victories, 13 Drivers' Championships and 10 Constructors' titles, spanning generations of champions and some of the sport's greatest eras.
Champions who shaped McLaren's legacy
The team's rise to the top began with Emerson Fittipaldi, who delivered McLaren's first Drivers' Championship in 1974. James Hunt followed with his memorable title triumph in 1976 before Niki Lauda added further success in the 1980s.
McLaren's golden era arrived with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, whose fierce rivalry produced some of Formula 1's most iconic moments while helping establish the team as the benchmark of the sport.
Mika Hakkinen continued that legacy with back to back titles in 1998 and 1999 before Lewis Hamilton secured his first world championship with McLaren in dramatic fashion in 2008.
Beyond championships and victories, McLaren helped shape Formula 1 itself. The team pioneered the use of carbon fibre technology that would become standard throughout the sport and set new benchmarks for innovation and engineering excellence.
The road to 1000 starts has not always been smooth. The team endured one of the most turbulent periods in its history following the 2007 Spygate scandal, which resulted in exclusion from the Constructors' Championship and a record financial penalty.
Years later, the Honda partnership between 2015 and 2017 delivered disappointing results as McLaren slipped from the front of the grid. The recovery that followed has become one of Formula 1's most impressive modern success stories.
From difficult years to championship glory
Under chief executive Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella, McLaren rebuilt its technical structure, culture and competitiveness. What had become a struggling former champion transformed into a title winning force once again.
That revival reached its peak in 2025 when Lando Norris ended Max Verstappen's championship reign and delivered McLaren's first Drivers' title since Hamilton's triumph 17 years earlier. The team also secured the Constructors' Championship to complete its return to the top.
Reflecting on the milestone, Stella said the achievement was rooted in the values established by founder Bruce McLaren and sustained throughout the team's history through a commitment to talent, integrity and fair competition.
As McLaren prepare for their 1000th Formula 1 start, the occasion serves as both a celebration of a remarkable history and confirmation that one of the sport's greatest teams remains firmly at the front of the grid.
Fittingly, the landmark comes in Monaco, where the journey first began in 1966.
Timeline: History of McLaren as a Formula 1 Constructor
1963: New Zealander Bruce McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing alongside American Teddy Mayer after racing for Cooper in Formula 1 since 1958.
1966: McLaren made its Formula 1 debut at Monaco on 22 May. The Robin Herd-designed M2B qualified 10th before retiring with an oil leak on lap 10. The team consisted of just six people, including Bruce McLaren and his wife.
1968: Denny Hulme secured McLaren's first Formula 1 podium with second place at Jarama in Spain. Later that year Bruce McLaren delivered the team's first victory at Spa Francorchamps, becoming only the third driver to win in a car of his own construction.
1970: Bruce McLaren was killed while testing a Can Am car at Goodwood on 2 June aged 32. Teddy Mayer assumed control of the team.
1974: Emerson Fittipaldi delivered McLaren's first Drivers' Championship and Constructors' Championship. The team also secured its first victory from pole position during the season.
1976: James Hunt won the Drivers' Championship after his famous title battle with Niki Lauda, decided at the final race at Fuji.
Ron Dennis takes over
1981: McLaren moved to Woking as Ron Dennis took control. Designer John Barnard introduced Formula 1's first carbon fibre composite chassis, a development that transformed the sport.
1982: Niki Lauda and John Watson win two races each as McLaren finish P2 in the Constructors' standings.
1983: John Watson produced one of Formula 1's greatest drives by winning at Long Beach from 22nd on the grid, still one of the most remarkable victories in Grand Prix history.
1984: Niki Lauda beat Alain Prost to the title by half a point, the closest championship finish in Formula 1 history under a full points system. Prost also delivered McLaren's first Monaco victory.
1985: Prost became World Champion, the first of his three titles with McLaren.
1986: McLaren celebrated its 50th Formula 1 victory as Prost won the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position with fastest lap.
The Senna and Prost era
1988: Ayrton Senna joined Alain Prost to form one of Formula 1's greatest driver pairings. Powered by Honda, McLaren won 15 of the season's 16 races.
1989: Senna and Prost collided at Suzuka. Senna crossed the finish line first but was disqualified, handing the championship to Prost.
1990: The rivalry exploded again at Suzuka. This time Senna and Prost collided at the first corner, securing the Brazilian's second title with McLaren.
1991: Senna won his third and final World Championship. His emotional first home victory at Interlagos remains one of Formula 1's defining moments.
1993: Senna produced what many regard as his greatest drive at Donington Park, charging from fifth to first on the opening lap in torrential rain.
Hakkinen and Hamilton carry the torch
1998: Mika Hakkinen claimed his first World Championship.
1999: Hakkinen successfully defended his crown to become a double World Champion.
2005: Kimi Raikkonen delivered one of Formula 1's finest victories, winning the Japanese Grand Prix from 17th on the grid.
2007: Bahrain's Mumtalakat became a shareholder in McLaren. The same year Formula 1 was rocked by the Spygate scandal, with McLaren receiving a record $100 million fine for possessing confidential Ferrari information. Rookie Lewis Hamilton also made his Formula 1 debut and claimed his first victory in Canada.
2008: Hamilton secured his maiden World Championship, the first of seven titles in his Formula 1 career.
2009: McLaren received a suspended three-race ban following the Liegate controversy involving Jarno Trulli's Australian Grand Prix result. Sporting director Dave Ryan was dismissed.
2011: Jenson Button won Formula 1's longest race in Canada after recovering from last place following lap 40.
The wilderness years and resurgence
2014: McLaren's hugely successful Mercedes partnership ended after producing 78 victories.
2015: Honda returned as engine supplier, but the reunion failed to replicate the success of the Senna and Prost era. McLaren endured a difficult three-year partnership without a single victory.
2017: McLaren returned to its traditional papaya colours.
2018: American businessman Zak Brown was appointed Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing.
2021: Daniel Ricciardo ended McLaren's nine-year victory drought with an emotional win at Monza.
2022: Andrea Stella was promoted to Team Principal, beginning a transformation that would return McLaren to the front of the grid.
2024: McLaren won the Constructors' Championship for the first time since 1998.
2025: The team secured a record-extending 10th Constructors' Championship, celebrated its 200th Grand Prix victory in Hungary and claimed a record 16th Monaco triumph through Lando Norris.
2026: McLaren arrives in Monaco to celebrate its 1000th Formula 1 start, joining Ferrari as only the second team in the sport's history to reach the landmark.
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