Disassembling The Greatest F1 Car With The Men Who Made It - The 1988 Prost / Senna McLaren MP4/4
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- In this very special video, I bring you the actual car raced by Ayrton Senna at Brazil in 1988. The McLaren MP4/4 was campaigned by Senna and Alain Prost throughout the season where it achieved near total dominance - 15 out of 16 races were won by a McLaren that year.
CarVertical: The History Checking Service
Use This Link or Code "JAYEMM" for a 20% Discount!
www.carvertical.com/gb/landin...
Today, I show you why the car was so successful with the people who were there.
Thankyou to Antony and Damani from @sportzntouring for assisting with today's piece.
#McLaren #FormulaOne #F1Car
Chapter Listing
0:00 Introduction
2:34 Brazil: The First Race
7:20 An Overview of the Car
12:20 Tyres, Brakes and Pit-Stops
18:13 The Design Process
20:38 Rear Wing & Downforce
24:17 Front Wing
26:09 The Style
28:53 The Monocoque
30:28 The Team
30:48 The Construction Process
33:12 Snorkel or No Snorkel?
34:03 The Paint
37:49 Undressing The Car
38:54 Airflow and Engine
43:25 Honda Reliability
44:32 The Tilton Clutch
46:06 Weight and Centre of Gravity
49:29 A Moment of Panic
51:12 The Mechanic's Assessment
54:12 How To Start a 1988 McLaren MP4/4
56:46 The Front Suspension
62:02 Fuel
64:16 Cockpit and Controls
68:01 Parting Words
Want to see your car on the channel? Email me on talk@jayemm.com
For my first video with Steve, see
• Video
Not had enough? Check out JAYEMM & FRIENDS! My new channel
/ jayemmandfriends
**********OUR CHANNEL PARTNERS**********
Dodo Juice - Award Winning Detailing Products
Get 10% off Dodo Juice's British Made Detailing Products with code: JAYEMM10
Shop at www.dodojuice.net
Charles & Dean - The Funding Specialists
www.charlesanddean.com/jayemm...
CRG Diagnostics
The experts in ADAS recalibration
collisionrepairgroup.com/
FIRE SAFETY STICK
The World's Lightest and Most Compact Fire Extinguisher
firesafetystick.com/
***********************************************************************************
Want More JayEmm? Become a channel member for access to exclusive content!
/ @jayemmoncars 
Авто/Мото
Enjoyed this? Check out my interview with Steve: ruclips.net/video/5Mz9nAzsLXU/видео.html
Yes! These are my fav format of vids.
If you didn't take the chance on the day, please do one with Neil T too. His life in Motorsport is absolutely fascinating from early days with Ron Dennis, then running his own F2 team, to back at Mclaren again with Ron Dennis and only recently retiring.
Tank you very much this was absolutely epic.. i could listen these guys stories for hours.. 🍺
thank you for this Jay!
Loved this! Would you be interested in doing something similar with the Lotus 79?
As an ex Mclaren F1 employee, I am amazed by this video. I remember when I started, the heritage department lead by Neil was still on the MTC, he was very approachable and full of knowledge and always happy to help. Every time I was frustrated at some engineering problem we had to fix, I always used to come down to the boulevard and see the old cars, trying to figure out how they fixed the same issue in the past, Neil was always there to answer any question. Congrats Jay for this superb piece of content, I wish Mclaren would exploit more of their F1 heritage like you just did!
That's such a cool story! I can just imagine!
Great to read about that.
This is the best comment I’ve ever read on an automotive channel, what a fantastic little jewel of insight into the history of Mclaren!
Thankyou sir! 👍👍
I will send him this message !
What a beautiful machine. This is the size an F1 car should be ....... not like the latest "aircraft carriers" sized cars.
I am 52 and I am from Brazil. I watched every GP that this machine won.
In 1988 I was 18.
Thank you very much for all these valuable information.
us too!!! 🤗
I was 6, and I remember. Not a lot, but it's imprinted on my mind.
RUclips is full of loud, obnoxious videos/presenters.
It was truly a joy to sit and listen to these humble experts.
new word for them: obknobxious - you're so right, they are painful
This video could have gone for 12 hours and I'd still have hung on every word. Sublime.
Yikes, I was about to skip it as it was a little too long, until I saw your comment.
Yes, sublime it is.
@@ravim111 congrats on your minuscule attention span
There’s a longer cut
ruclips.net/video/m7uZu_Wsdis/видео.htmlsi=TdoNd7Ll3tR9Ux9d
In 1988 I was responsible for Shell’s sponsorship of this car, including the programme to develop the fuel and lubricants. Honda were amazing, continuing to develop the engine throughout the season despite it being the final year of the formula. We supplied them enough fuel to do a race everyday that year such was the scale of the testing programme. Neil mentions how dense the fuel was - so dense there’s a heat exchanger on the engine to warm it up to ensure it would burn. Fantastic video please do more of these.
That's amazing! Thanks for sharing
Please tell more. It is fantastic when some body from that era can tell stories. Come on...
Just wondering why the fuel would need to be so dense and what would make it dense - cheers
“Lower the center of gravity by 10mm and gain 3/10 lap time.” Amazing
@@Bumbaclot213 Higher density fuel delivers more energy per liter, effectively allowing them to have "more" fuel in the smaller tank they were regulated to use.
I worked as a laminator for 10 years at MTC and Neil Trundle is an absolute legend, one of the nicest people who's ever been in F1.
He's a gent!
Thanks for the insight!
I am not going to lie, but that car makes sex wee come out!!! That has to be F1 fans favourite car!!
Fascinating stuff and I'm not even much of a tech head yet I watched it all the way thru in one go 👍🏽
Have a look on here for an interview he did with the Brooklands Museum, he tells some fantastic stories.
I swear I almost teared up when they removed the bodypanels to expose the mecahnicals beneath. The best full on nerd out video about this car, ever. Thanks for producing such amazing content!
I will confess to getting a little bit emotional when filming it
Wow! This was BY FAR the best F1 in-depth interview of this legendary car and period. In 1988 I was 18, in the States, watching it on rabbit ears and an old color TV. I was hooked and watched F1 every year since. This is the Xmas present I needed!
1988... What a great time to be young and alive.
That is such a comment! I felt your passion!
same here, But I was 44 in 1988, and I saw all the F1 Races at long Beach, and got to drive the old Riverside raceway, short track in a formula Ford car. best of all, I was at Riverside for the US Grand Prix, in 1960, at age 16. Only 15,000 people came, and after the race all My hero's were just standing By Themselves, waiting to be picked up and driven to the Airport, to go back to Europe. My brother and our friend, and I stood there and listened to them talk , and one of them looked at us, and said."Who are you with mates?", (F1Team), WE LAUGHED AND SAID" JUST fans WHO WATCHED YOU GENTLEMAN DRIVE!" HE THEN SAID "You are the most important blokes here, as with out you, we can't race, and make a living"" Everyone laughed, and I think the driver who talked, was Jack Brabham! Sterling Moss won in a lotus, and He wasn't there. I'm now the last person, Most likely, to still be alive, at age 78, who was there, and I live in Las Vegas, and I can't go to the F1 race, here in November, because it costs 500 dollars for general admission....tears falling..
@@jackjohnsen8506 I have a retired uncle living in Vegas, he mentioned the event prices. $500 is crazy expensive. Best wishes to you!
@@johnjacobjingleheimerschmi3857 Thank you, but it will take a Miicle to get me inside that track, on race day...
This is the F1 I fell in love with as a kid.
Same!
Same here. The cars of this era, the early eighties, had such clean lines unlike todays staggeringly complex bodywork. I started watching F1 in 82 and the cars that year, the original MP4, the Ferrari 126C2, the Renault RE30, Lotus 91, all had such clean lines. (Only Keke's FW08 looked a bit odd.) And unlike earlier cars from the seventies they looked so well made. They almost looked like "production" cars, the attention to detail was so good. You didn't see random bits riveted on here and there.
Likewise!
Agreed
Proud to be able to call Neil a friend. Incredibly kind, knowledgeable and hard working chap. I was at his house the other day and he mentioned he'd been looking at one of the MP4/4s but I got the impression it was hush hush so I didnt ask any more. I didn't realise he was filming for this brilliant channel! :)
And now you know! Thanks for watching
This is pure gold, a huge thanks to everyone involved!
HONKY! THE! SPORT! OF! FORMULA! ONE! (RULES)! HA! HA! HA!
This is a piece for the archives. It belongs in a museum. Thanks so much for capturing these MP4/4 gems before they were lost to time.... Just beautiful!
As great as it is I lament the fact that more of the team couldn't be there. The other mechanics, Ron, Alain, etc. And of course Ayrton.
@@unique11124 if only...
@@unique11124 I can only imagine Ayrton there with Alain along side the entire team of the time.. if only could have it happen.
HONKY! THE! F1! (SUSPENSION)! &! THE! (PULL)! ROD! WORKED! (SUPERBLY)! HA! HA! HA!
This is up there as one of the best automotive videos on RUclips. Almost a documentary I’d say. Well done jay you did the car pure justice ❤
Just wanted to state the exact same thing. Magnificent episode!
An amazing video. As mentioned above, a very professional documentary- superb.
Couldn't agree more! It's been amazing to watch Jay's journey with his RUclips channel, and this really has to be the treat of all treats for motorsport fans! Incredible. Such a great job. Only thing is it ended so soon😄
You are damn right! A top quality, insightfull and authentic doumentary!
Best I have seen in watching 30 years of these.
I’m sitting here watching this with a magnifying visor on my head, DROOLING over the details. Such excellent reference material for us model builders. I have kits of this car in every scale from 1/43 to 1/8. I want to reproduce every nut and bolt as accurately as possible! THANK YOU GUYS!!!
No flappy paddle gearchangers, cars designed for drivers who were drivers in every sense of the word, quite frankly the best video I've ever seen showing the inner workings of a car and the team behind it all, thank you.
This has to be the best film on a F1 car if not any race car on RUclips. You guys really outdid yourselves on this. Happens to be the first video I’ve seen from your channel and I subscribed after only a few minutes in!!!! I love racing history and hearing the men who gave us this beautiful beast talk about it as if it was just yesterday they built it. I’m a forever fan, absolutely crushed it guys!!
Thanks! Check out my interview with Steve from last year for more F1 throwbacks
What a great piece of work this is Jay. I would go as far to say this video is important as a record of historical significance. No one lives forever so really good to get this technical detail captured now. Thanks to all involved.
Thanks J J. My intent was to capture an oral history of sorts
Just the video thumbnail was enough to instantly subscribe the channel. Excellent video!
Wholeheartedly agree!
Quite right mate.
Agreed!
Getting these three together was amazing. The look on their faces. The enthusiasm. They were ready to put a hot shoe in the car and send him out on an installation lap... Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
What a beautiful video!! After 30 years of his death, still can't watch a video related to Ayrton without shedding a tear.
not even seeen him live ,watching f1 from 2016 still cant watch without tears
I believe that many people are the same. I am.
This might help. In 1991, he told me he hated you.
@@The_ZeroLine Hark! Hark! What do I hear? ‘Tis the sound of a child murmuring? Oh quietly, let this girl of God reach out! Praise, her , I beseech you please join me in pray.
@@davidfraser9365 Praise his name, brother. Praise his name.
I'm from Utah , once I was working alongside a guy that it seems knew nothing about cars . He looked a completely red neck. One day he saw my phone wallpaper in which I had this car , he smiled and told me his dad worked in Hercules back in the day as engineer and gave him a poster of this formula one car being built in Europe. Indeed Hercules fabricated the carbon fiber used in all those cars. Life has many ways to surprise you .
Absolutely the Golden Era of F1, best sounding cars, great drivers and huge amount of different teams, engines etc To be able to touch one of the great cars that Senna drove is definitely on my bucket list. I’m in my 60’s now so working on that.
Not Senna but I did manage to touch one of Shumacher's world championship cars in Maranello. It was in '06 at the museum, and they had pulled out the '04 car (iirc) from the display, along with Rubens' car, while they did something to the display itself. The car was just sitting there, no ropes around it or anything. Got a picture standing next to it as well, of course.
I sat in Red 5 at the first Goodwood Festival of Speed, won't let you near the cars now!
I'm a big Formula 1 fan, and this car was a part of the "Golden Era " of F1 racing. Also, I'm a fan of Ayrton Senna, who could do things in that car that made you watch in awe every race he was in. Alian Prost was a great driver also and his rivalry with Senna was exciting to watch. Great video James, you really outdid yourself with this one, and these gentlemen were wonderful to listen to.
That prose comp - ouch.
I think that many fans that were engrossed in this period of F1 would agree with you. As for Ayrton, what can we say that hasn’t been said? Just an icon. Much missed.
Did an AI bot write this comment
yeah I love Alien Prost
i grew up around the Schumacher glory era, but this content is so refreshing to see, these people are severely underrated! makes me appreciate previous eras even more.
Possibly one of the most satisfying and incredible RUclips videos I've seen in the last few years - and one of those rarities that will definitely be revisited. Thank you to all involved!
HONKY! (MANUAL)! GEARSHIFT! HA! HA! HA!
Steve can't help but smile as he talks about the car, can see how it brings him back and how proud he is in the creation of such an amazing machine that became the most dominant car to date.
And how much he loved working with his team, and giving credit to everyone who contributed!
This channel goes from strength to strength and the sheer variety is amazing 👏👏👏
I agree. Jay must own every shirt in the world.
Certainly do
This is sensational. As a mechanical engineer who rarely if ever gets that technical itch scratched by the motorsports media, which is largely devoid of intricate tech bits, this did an outstanding job of detailing and conveying so much of the design and stories of the MP4/4's program. Thank you!
To anybody who reads this, go watch the extended cut of this video! The juicy tech bits are in full-effect; my cup runneth over!
The beauty & practicality of simplicity.
In my opinion the f1 cars of the 1980’s-1990’s were the most beautiful cars of all time.
I could almost hear Senna saying "Yeah, I was a little particular about things back then." in this video. How could it be any better than that. Thank you Jay & Guests
Our delight :)
That car is a work of art. Simply stunning
I remember being a young teen watching Senna’s final race live on tv and the seeing a whole country fall into tears as if we had lost a brother or a son. Senna was deeply loved and respected by all Brazilians and F1 and automobile lovers. Truly a tragic day.. I cried as if I had lost an old friend..
I sometimes wish I had never heard the name Senna, then I wouldn't have this hole inside me that can't be filled. Even now I can't think about him without tearing up. Both of my parents dying came nowhere near close to the grief I felt that day and continue to feel.
I'm still crying, and will for the rest of my life. He was an absolute LEGEND.
Absolutely superb video. It is a little comical that Gordon Murray is not once mentioned. I suppose he has gotten the spotlight for far too long on this car and it is wonderful to see the REAL contributors step forward to share their experiences. Thank you so much for producing this.
My absolute pleasure. If you saw our previous video on the genesis of the 4/4 then you may see why Gordon is not mentioned
@@JayEmmOnCars Yes another wonderful production that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you again for the excellent content.
If Murray had been prior informed of this video he might have come with another "cease and desist" letter for the McLaren personnel. Similar to what he did after a technical talk given by Steve Nichols last year. A brilliant designer Gordon Murray, but he can be extremely conceited when it comes to the MP4/4 where he tries to take the vast majority of credit for the overall concept and design. Earlier this year McLaren hosted many of the MP4/4 design team (including Nichols) for a get together/meeting at McLaren Technology Centre. Murray was not there, not sure if he was even invited.
its pathetic that murray is made redundant on the mp4/4..as if he had zero contribution when he clearly had put his ideas into the 4/4
@@trollextreme9438 This video isn't about Gordon Murray - the last one was, and nobody felt there was any need to discuss the topic further.
Gordon was given an open invite to talk to me and has not taken it, so I can't say I haven't been fair!
I wasn't expecting a Christmas present from Mr. JayEmm this year, but thank you very much for this lovely piece of history! Incredibly interesting.
Ho ho ho
I wish I could go back to 1988 and be 25 again.1986 and 1988 my favorite year of F1.
Seriously the most beautiful F1 car ever designed. Its absolutely perfect. That Marlboro livery 🤩🥹
We learn so much from leading F1 engineers, you're on to a winner here Jay interviewing F1 teams on past cars. History of engineering is gold.
Fantastic episode.No loud music or gimmicky editing unlike some channels.Just straight forward conversation by experts in their fields.Always seems to be a Ron Dennis anectote in there!
And thank god for none of that utter nonsense. Listening to these legends talk about the car was beautiful.
I just keep imagining what if this was on TV. It'd be the same length, but thered be advert breaks every 5 minutes, a catchup review after every break and it would be interspersed with cut aways explaining complex concepts such as wheels and wheel nuts using cartoon graphics.
Absolutely amazing! I have never seen a video like this. I was, and still am, a Senna fan! His ability to give his engineers information to set up the car is uncanny. When I watched him qualifying, he was like a man possessed, in a good way. He let a higher power direct his mission, and it worked for him. This car was, and still is, the panicle of excellence.
For someone who "did not design the car", Steve Nichols does seem to know a lot about the design process. A lot more than someone else whom I also idolize.
It's pretty clear to me who designed the car and who oversaw the design process.
Yep....
There literally no words to describe the feels.
I was fortunate to meet Neil Trundle at MTC in 2019 during the event for the presentation for the MCL34. I attend with a friend of mine as guests and asked if we could speak to Neil Trundle to a PR staff. He replied that he would come to meet us.Neil was still working at McLaren. He is such a humble guy. You can see his smile and he is so friendly. He is a McLaren legend for all what he did for the Team during the decades and the joy of having a talk with him is priceless. You can see his hands and feel his offer as a mechanic with scratches and i shaked his hands feeling so much proud to been able to meet and talk with him some minutes about the MP4/4 and Ayrton.
It was a magical joyrney back to 88 and watching Steve, Matthew and Neil talking on that car and year its emotional. You can literally hanging from their words and listening to their stories when you are a true McLaren passionate fan. I grow up with Mika as a champion but i dig to history learning about my Team legacy the past decades and im so proud.
It was an excellent video and thank you for this. It makes it even more special that you let the talk to these gents and sharing their views around this car without getting in the middle asking questions. Well done and thank you again for this video.
Thankyou for watching
Thanks JayEmm for raising the bar, excellent content!
Next level!
This video series is probably the best possible example to show you why the boss or management can never take credit for the entire achievement, the real heroes are often further down the order, below the radar. And sometimes it's not even remotely the management's achievement at all. Gordon Murray is no doubt one of those engineers who could completely design a car himself, and he has the F1 and T50 to his name and unique vision. But the MP4/4 isn't really his glory, he had very little input in it, but took all the credit. I didn't think a man of his merits could be so dishonest, but here he was. Now I realize Steve Nichols was EXTREMELY underrated.
As a hardcore McLaren fan these kind of videos are the stuff of dreams! My hart always skips a beat when i see a new video on JayEmm's channel. Sadly i was only two years old when this car came out so never had the pleasure of seeing it race in period at full bang. Ow how i wish i was born twenty years earlier. Evidently i reached out to Matthew and just made a payment for one of the prints signed by these three amazing people!
A fantastic result! It was such a privilege for us to both play our small part in the making of this. A joy to watch yet again and relive this special day!
Thank you! I must check your content out some more, have really enjoyed everything I have seen from you two so far. Great work on this also, what a treat! Thanks.
Must have been amazing to lift that bodywork off, huh?😍 such a legendary car.
@@andreedelslund2138 thanks! Our content is a different style, so hope you like it... It was a treat doing this video with James, especially for Damani as he's just graduated with a degree in Motorsport engineering... So particularly cool for him. Thanks for watching!
-Ant
Well done x 10000
From back when F1 had 'soul'. Great memories seeing this era in Adelaide back in the day. Great video, thank you.
What a phenomenal film, to be able to listen first hand from the people that created this incredible machine is such an honor. Thank you for making this !
That is IMHO the most beautiful F1 ever build.
What an incredible opportunity to hear a full technical breakdown of this legendary F1 car, from the people who designed and worked on it. What a blessing that these people are still alive, well, and willing to share their knowledge. The same cannot be said for older, even more important F1 cars.
So true Alex and the memory of these gentleman makes you feel like it was just last week when Senna and Prost were racing.
Certainly the best made automotive video I have ever experienced, made possible by brilliant presenters and skilled producers! This is an instant classic. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for your kind words Jens!
This video is criminally underwatched
This is by far the best video I've seen about an F1 car.
@1:00:09 "Hard going in, soft coming out" had me on the floor.
7kg of paint! Fantastic recall of events from over 30 years ago.
With top people and top engineering, this car was possibly the biggest advance over its predecessors.
Oh my God!! Wow!! Just wow!! I have no words to describe how absolutely AMAZING this video is!! Thank you so much for making this film and documenting this oral history. I also thoroughly enjoyed and marvelled at the Steve Nichols interview videos. To put some context into what this car means to us Brazilians: Brazil was going through some very dark and difficult times back then. Senna, McLaren and the MP4/4 were one of the few really cool and inspiring things we had going on for Brazil at the time. Senna's victories and his display of his pride for his hardship-riddled and torn country were pivotal in helping to restore Brazilians' self-esteem and pride in their country. And, ultimately, breathing new life into hoping for a better future (which did eventually happen). This car was absolutely pivotal in making all that possible. I am so thankful to all the people who worked so hard to design, develop, maintain and sponsor this car during the Senna Years. Yall have no idea how much good you did for my country. I salute you. Best regards from Brasilia, Brazil. Ps: I am a huge fan of Piquet as well. Actually, more so than I am a fan of Senna. I would love to see some videos done on Piquet and his cars too, if at all feasible. Thanks!
We snuck into the garages at the ‘86 Detroit GP. All the teams were working in one shared parking garage. I remember each Honda engine had a beautiful case, and the Honda engineers were immaculate. In contrast one of the Italian teams has an engine sitting on its side on the floor and the mechanic working on it was quite dirty.
That F1 car is part of Ayrton Senna’s heart and sole. He made that engine sing and the car dance
One year ago that amazing interview, and now this... Early Christmas gifts. thank you!
My pleasure!
Amazing production...No questions, nobody talking over each other, just letting these guys do their thing... Would love to see the Lotus 79 explained in a similar manner by Peter Wright, Tony Southgate, Martin Ogilvie, Nigel Bennett & Bob Dance....🙏
incredible stuff! Bravo! I am a Ferrari fan but this iconic race car is not just one of the most successful F1 cars created, but also one of the most beautiful ones!
This is THE BEST video I've seen all year. Absolutely fantastic. There will probably never be such a detailed video on the mp4/4 again. These guys are legends.
"coming in to work on a Saturday, not getting paid, but they wanted to be there".. Says it all really.
50 pounds per win..wow
@@kirk-michaelharris1683 Per point, much more for a win, the season £10,000.
Amazing video. Being an engineer myself and a Senna fan, just loved the explanations of how they solved every engineering problem that was thrown at them. One can see the that the MP4/4 legend starts in the design and engineering of the aerodynamics, engine, suspension, goes through the track engineers who must solve issues on the go, and ends up in the hands of two of the greatest drivers.
I grew up watching F1 and this car was amazing. I still remember wake up very early on sunday (i´m from Chile) turn on the TV and watch the race and this beautiful car wining every race.
When I was a boy around 1965, Bruce McLaren was my fantasy hero, then his Can-Am cars were my dream vehicles, the continuation of the legacy here is very touching. What is nice to see is the calm and harmony exhibited by these guys, after their journey through creating this work of art together. There is fantastic therapeutic value in a job this magnificent so well done, it's a testimony to the best of the human spirit in action to create greatness.
When I was a boy in New Zealand, Bruce McLaren were my fantasy heroes, their Can-Am and Indy cars were my dream vehicles - and Bruce and Denny's cars were painted papaya orange! Not the colors of some fag company!
The pride and team spirit on display n the last 10 minutes of this video is tremendously inspirational. I want to show this to my R&D team, as a snapshot of how a successful team looks and feels.
I remember Ayrton testing this car at Estoril, fully in white only with a Goodyear sticker on the front wing. It was gorgeous!
Thank you James for this jewel of motosport history. Well done!
THIS CAR IS LIKE AN UNTAMABLE BEAST... PURE UNLEASHED
The wonder years of F1. Prost, Senna, Mansell et al. What a magnificent car. Just incredible. I was in my early thirties and just transfixed. A fan for life. Thank you for a brilliant video (as a videographer - some colour matching and grading between cameras would be the icing on the cake.)
This is a fantastic video, what an insight into perhaps THE best car and winning periods of F1, so nice to hear in detail from the guys who were directly involved in the whole process. Excellent video Jay well done.
HONKY! (ELBOW)! PADS! FOR! WHEN! THE! FORMULA! ONE! DRIVER! IS! WORKING! THE! STEERING! (WHEEL)! HA! HA! HA!
What an incredible hour and a 1/4 of viewing. I could have just listened to those gentleman talk for an entire day. The insights idea and solutions that you or I could never come up with are just incredible.
I was born in '89 but look back to this era, and this year and car in particular as the pinnacle of F1. Amazing to see this car up close, its so so much more detailed and beautiful than I ever realised/one gets to realise from photographs and video footage. Amazing to see the different driving positions of Prost and Senna, but also all the small contours and aero, particularly round the back end and diffuser, the 'grooves' down either side of the nose and the carbon fibre, truly a work of art. I wish modern F1 looked as clean and as majestic as this, but of course safety has to some first. Great video, thanks so much!
I was born in 1990. One of my very first memories ever is my mum telling me that Senna has died in a crash. I can't tell you for how long I've been interested in Formula 1 because from my point of view I've always have been. I became aware of the existence of the MP4/4 probably around 1998 when dad got me a small matchbox model of it. Anyone who's into motorsport and had matchbox cars as a kid knows that there's a special connection between you and those cars, it's as if you've somehow owned the real thing. Hell come to think of it now I've probably spend more time playing with the damned thing than Senna and Prost combined did driving the car during the 1988 season. Jay, words cannot even begin to explain how grateful I am for that video, to literally see my childhood into such an intimate detail was an absolutely profound experience. Thank you so much!
This was a great video Jay. Thank you for keeping almost the entire video raw. Just makes it look more authentic (not that you needed it with the presence of these gentlemen).
this is absolute gold. thank you so much for bringing such a treat to us!
That's beautiful car. One of the most beautiful F1 I've seen.
For those who consider themselves a true F1 fan this is a must watch video . Very well done
Exceptional video James. Just so entertaining to watch these three gentlemen walk us through the masterpiece of engineering that was the MP 4/4.
What a stunning car. Sublime engineering, attention to detail & problem solving. And decent, charming & humble blokes too. Thanks for making & uploading this, it's great to see it up close & hear the processes behind it! Excellent job.
I love this video because it celebrates the true designers of the car and gives a big ‘up yours’ to the guy (GM) who tried to steal all the glory and take all the credit. Great job for making this video to give credit where credit is due.
...and GM has to just sit back and take it.
This is the year when I fell in love with F1
Great video James!👍🏽🙏🏼. Best 1hr+ ever spent on RUclips for me. The “Just let them talk” concept makes this a gem. Having seen this car race back in the days, it’s wonderful to learn from its creators. What a great time it must hve been.
It was amazing to produce this, and a pleasure to share
Absolutely INSPIRING! Educational, emotional and the three gentlemen are role models for integrity and humbleness after creating a masterpiece of art and engineering. Happy New Year to all!
The car without its shell looks literally visceral. It looks like it's designed to shred. What a beautiful machine. How a bunch of cogs and wheels arranged in a particular manner as this is able to conjure such deep feelings is amazing.
One of the best looking F-1 machines. Timeless!!
A truly amazing assemblage of racing craftsmanship. I will never forget Prost and Senna neck and neck in those days. Truly, one the shining eras in all of auto racing. Thank you to everyone at McLaren who put their souls into these cars. Your dedication showed through every race.
Such an amazing film. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing it to us. THIS car above all others cemented my love of motor racing as a 14 year old, watching it with my dad. The adage of "if it looks right it'll fly right" applies here too. Its minimalist, purposeful and beautiful. Seeing these hugely talented people talking about their creation and its application on track with such pride and wonder is amazing to behold. Its actually very moving for me; particularly as my dad is no longer with us and I have fantastic childhood memories of watching every race with him, from tender years through until I left home as a young adult. He'd have loved this film as much as I. Bravo, I salute you. 👏 Also a note on how great its been to read the comments here from McLaren employees, other racers and race fan. Thank you all.
One of the most beautiful and iconic F1 cars ever, absolutely legendary car!
I just love this car, you can actually see the engineering. I find modern F1 cars boring to look at in comparison
Well played Jay. This is a fascinating insight, and perfectly timed as I'm currently reading Malcolm Folley's book 'Prost v Senna'.
The 4/4 is one of the most beautiful F1 cars, in my opinion. It just looks right. The livery, and those clean, simple lines just work perfectly.
A fantastic film, you should more videos like this James, thanks to all those involved in making it. As a technical nerd and someone who used to work on historic race cars, it's wonderful to see all the details of the design and how it was built. Your reviews have also given me a lot of information (and confidence) to start my own collection of cars, so thank you!
Imagine how much work this was to set up, film and edit, for 675K views? Frankly, McLaren should buy this film from him for a fair amount.
Only 3 minutes in and know this is going to be very, very special.... Thank you.
My dad and this car are the reason I look racing today. I remember being 4 years old watching the races with my dad on TV . I had a toy car of this car along with Is car cars that my dad would get me. Whatever since then I have absolutely loved racing
by far the best video on the channel
They just get better and better don't they!
"Mechanical art" couldn't agree more, bravo gentlemen, and thank you Jay, fantastic video 👏👏👏🏁🍾
This is really special - I feel privileged to be able to learn from the people that created such a special car. I'm very appreciative that these gentleman we willing to share their history with us - what a treat!
A great example here form serves function.....
Pure art
I’ve watched approximately 2 seconds of this .
And just know I’m going to thoroughly enjoy what’s to come .
Here's hoping!
Such an amazing car!!
Fascinating video Jay. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So cool huh!
This is possibly the best F1 documentary I've ever seen
This brought me back to the stress and tension that preceded every race - indeed, every competition - of every kind in which I participated as a young man - whether SCCA, Formula Ford, motocross, Olympic sailing - every one of which required fastidious and obsessive attention to the smallest detail, and agonizing over both the known issues and those you knew had to be there, but that you knew that you hadn't yet seen. Behind the wheel, or bars, or on the tiller, or flying the trapeze, your mind was at warp speed looking and listening and feeling for the least hint that something was about to go toes up, while in tune with the absolute music of the things that were going right.
This brought back the endless late nights and long days, the tacking drills, the obsessive fettling and tweaking, and the massive satisfaction when you got it right, and crossed the line first. What a wonderful retrospective and superb insight into that team, at that time, operating at the pinnacle of a sport. Truly a microscope on the behind the scenes world of what it takes to be competitive at the top. Excellent. Thank you.
As others have said this is right up there as being the best video on the subject, great to see such detail on this iconic car.