Mclaren m19a

M19 was designed by Australian designer Ralph Bellamy. With this machine, the team hoped to fix the mistakes of the disappointing M14 model.

M19 was longer and wider than its predecessor, but its most noticeable difference was the form of a monocoque - slightly convex in plan. Bellamy himself described it as "a Coca-Cola bottle shape similar to the Matra MS80, " referring to the champion car of the 1969 season. The overall plan belonged to Joe Marquart, who proposed increasing the wheelbase in order to position the fuel as close to the center of the chassis as possible.

Like the M14A, the front brakes were mounted on wheels, and the rear brakes were mounted inside the case. The suspension was radically changed - Ralph Bellamy created a design that increased stiffness in proportion to the change in the vertical position of the wheel. This effect was achieved with the help of a complex system of levers, which forced the springs and shock absorbers to work in compression to a greater or lesser extent when the wheel rose and fell on unevennesses. Last but not least, such a system was chosen because the suspension of Formula 1 cars in the early 70s was relatively soft, which required an increase in clearance - when the car was fully loaded with fuel, the cars were literally scraped with their bottoms along the track on hummocky sections of the track. In the previous season, Lotus 72 , with its sophisticated torsion system, demonstrated that the problem could be circumvented to some extent. Now, the team believed that they had found a simpler and cheaper solution.

M19 debuted in South Africa. The new suspension was more difficult to set up, but on the smooth canvas of the track in Kyalami, Danny Hmme liked the behavior of the car. Having qualified fifth in the season opening race, he moved to fourth place by the end of the first round. After that, he overtook Ferrari Jacques X , Lotus Emerson Fittipaldi , and then the leading Ferrari Clay Regazzoni and soon created a gap, but on lap 76 out of 79 one of the bolts in the rear suspension collapsed and the New Zealander rolled to sixth place, in a circle from the leader.

In the future, Denny was fourth in Monaco and Canada, and fifth in Spain - these were the best season results for the McLaren team.

The best result in 1971 on the M19A was achieved by newcomer Mark Donoghue, who finished in excellent third place in Canada on a car owned by the Penske team.

Problems with the instability of the M19 results were attributed to the understeer caused by the low-profile rubber, which was then in fashion, the difficulties of adjusting the new suspension, as well as unbalanced aerodynamics. At the US Grand Prix, Denny tried a new wider nose cone, but it did not bring much improvement.

Answers to the questions asked did not want to come, even when Roger Penske agreed that Donohue, known for his ability to tune the car, would conduct lengthy M19 tests at Silverstone . Mark complained of oversteer, so it was decided to add a clip on the rear wing - but this caused even more oversteer, which completely confused the team. In the end, the radical rear suspension was removed in favor of the old version used on the M14A.

The most noticeable difference in the car in the 1972 season was the new coloring, due to the arrival of a new title sponsor, the cosmetic company "Yardley Cosmetics". Another important change, originally made on the M19A, and then transferred to the M19C, was the final return to the traditional rear suspension. This, as well as some other inconspicuous improvements, transformed the car. Peter Revson was promoted to co-pilot of the Formula 1 team after an excellent performance for McLaren in the 1971 Can-Am series.

As a result, in the 1972 season, the M19 showed what it was capable of. Return to Kyalami became happy for Hume after the disappointment of last season - this time the first race of the season ended in victory for him. Third place of Peter Revson was a great addition to the victory. Later, McLaren pilots finished second and third in Austria, just a second from Emerson Fittipaldi on the invincible Lotus 72 . By that time, the M19C model was already used, which was somewhat lighter than its predecessor. Danny regularly brought points: in addition to South Africa and Austria, there were still third places in Belgium, Italy, Canada and America, as well as fifth in Britain. Revson did not lag behind: in addition to third place in South Africa, he repeated the same result in Britain and Austria, was second in Canada, and also fourth in Italy. Danny started from the first row five times, Peter - once. Danny also had one fastest lap.

A new model, the M23 , was prepared for the 1973 season, but the M19, with minimal modifications, continued its service until a sufficient number of new cars were built. This time the first race was the Argentinean Grand Prix, at which Denny finished fifth, happily avoiding a serious accident in qualifying after he got stuck on the gas pedal. Revson was the eighth. The Grand Prix of Brazil at Interlagos Denny finished third, despite the fact that by the end of the race worked only the highest gears. On Revson's car, the gearbox failed already on the third lap.

At the Grand Prix of South Africa, Hume moved to the new M23, and his M19 was in the hands of Jody Scheckter , announced by the third pilot of the team. Native walls helped the South African, who started from the front row, and after punctured the wheel by car, Denny took the lead, but later came down due to problems with the engine. Jackie Stewart won the race at Tyrrell, and Peter Revson was second. This ended the racing history of the McLaren M19 chassis.

• Article at mclarenf-1.com