The McLaren MP4/1 was a Formula One racing car produced by the McLaren team. It was used during the 1981, 1982 and 1983 seasons. It was the second Formula One car to use a monocoque chassis wholly manufactured from carbon fibre composite, after the Lotus 88, a concept which is now ubiquitous. The MP4/1 was first entered in a Formula One race at the third grand prix of the season in Argentina.
McLaren MP4 (MP4/1), competed in the 1981 Formula One season
The cockpit of the MP4B
McLaren MP4/1B
1981 Formula One World Championship
The 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1981 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1981 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, which were contested over a fifteen-race series that commenced on 15 March and ended on 17 October. The 1981 South African Grand Prix, as a non-championship race due to difficulties from the ongoing FISA–FOCA war, was open to Formula One entrants but was not part of the World Championship.
Nelson Piquet won the first of his 3 drivers' championships driving for the Brabham team
Carlos Reutemann, driving for Williams, placed second in the Drivers' Championship by just one point
Reutemann's teammate Alan Jones placed third in the Drivers' Championship
During the 1981-82 seasons, Ligier were sponsored by Talbot.