McLaren look back on first Monaco win on the eve of their 1000th grand prix
F1 NewsTuesday, 02 June 2026 at 08:41
McLaren head to the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend which marks their 1000th Grand Prix start in Formula 1 and the Woking squad look back on their first win at the principality back in 1984 courtesy of Alain Prost.
McLaren's first race in Formula 1 was the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix which ended with a DNF for the team. 60 years later, the team have achieved a major milestone, hitting a 1000 race starts, a feat only managed by Ferrari before them.
In a press release ahead of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren went back in time and gave us a glimpse of their first win in Monaco on June 3, 1984 when Prost took the win after the race was red flagged half way due to torrential rain with the Professor taking half points.
It is the famous race in which one Ayrton Senna emerged as a Formula 1 legend when he was driving in his maiden season in the top flight and driving for Toleman. The Brazilian was reveling in the rain, catching race leader, Prost at a fast pace and was only denied a win since the race was Red flagged.
How it folded...
McLaren told the story, and said: "Monaco in June can be a glorious place, but it wasn't the case on 3 June, 1984.
"Heavy rain delayed the start by 45 minutes, and when it finally did begin, the slippery surface and huge rooster tails of spray had the cars tip-toeing around the circuit.
"Alain Prost started on Pole and made a good start to comfortably hold his lead. The inevitable pile-up at Ste. Devote was a long way behind him. Derek Warwick walked away with bruises, Patrick Tambay walked away – literally – with a broken leg.
"Alain had a misfiring TAG turbo, and was passed by Nigel Mansell on Lap 9, but Mansell hit the wall at Massenet a few laps later, handing the lead back to Alain.
"Niki Lauda in the other McLaren was up to P2 but had Toleman rookie Ayrton Senna glued to his gearbox. Senna, who started from P13, blazed past Niki on Lap 19, and set off after Alain, 35s up the road."
A McLaren mechanic tells his side of the story
Indy Lall, Heritage Events Consultant and McLaren mechanic at the time recalled: "I was the No.1 Mechanic on Alain Prost's car in 1984.
"Alain used MP4/2-2 chassis for most of the races during that year, scoring five wins with this chassis. Qualifying was smooth for us in dry conditions, and Alain scored his first Pole Position of the year."
McLaren's statement then added: "Senna looked like a driver on a different circuit, taking huge chunks of time out of Alain on every lap. Alain was struggling with brake temperatures.
"With the rain getting worse, Alain started waving his arm each time past the pits, clearly signalling that he believed the race should be stopped.
"Meanwhile, Senna was taking three or four seconds out of his lead on every lap," the team noted.
The Lall said: "Race day was less ideal. There was heavy rain, and the circuit was awash. Back then, we were able to make set up changes to suit the conditions, going from dry to wet settings, ready for the Warmup session.
"Alain's sympathetic driving style not only cares for the machinery but also for the elements. The rain and conditions were progressively getting worse.
Prost asking to stop the race as Senna chased
"Alain, on numerous laps past the pits, was physically indicating to the officials to stop the race. Then on Lap 32 the Red Flag, along with the Chequered flag, came out to stop the race as the conditions were too dangerous.
"Alain pulled up just before the Finish Line as Ayrton Senna passed him and, in theory, took the win.
"However, as the race was Red-Flagged, the result goes back to the lap previous, and Alain was in the lead and therefore declared the winner," Lall said.
"Clerk of the Course Jacky Ickx – who knows a thing or two about racing in the wet – deemed conditions too poor to continue," McLaren then said. "Alain won and was awarded half-points. Of the 20 starters, only nine were still running, and only six of those were on the lead lap. "
"It was a fantastic result for the team, our first win in Monaco, with Alain giving a master class drive. The Monaco Grand Prix is always special, and 1984 was just that," Lall concluded.
"It was the first of three consecutive and four total Monaco victories for Prost, and the second step in McLaren securing the Triple Crown," McLaren concluded.
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