McLaren join Ferrari as only F1 teams to make 1,000 GP starts
- Last updated: June 1, 2026 | 10:14
Bruce McLaren, in a 1964 eulogy for late friend and fellow driver Timmy Mayer, said "life is measured in achievement, not in years alone" and more than 60 years later his team are still living by the maxim.
Founded by the late New Zealander, with barely a handful of employees, McLaren celebrate their 1,000th Formula One start in Monaco this weekend as only the second outfit after Ferrari to reach such a mighty milestone.
They stand alone in getting there as champions.
In terms of achievement, McLaren are the second most successful Formula One team of all time with 203 grand prix victories since the first in 1968.
They have won 10 constructors' championships and 13 drivers' titles since Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi took the first in 1974, with Britain's Lando Norris the latest in 2025.
Ferrari, competing since the start of the championship in 1950, reached the 1,000 race milestone at their home Mugello circuit in 2020 and have 16 constructors' titles and 15 drivers' crowns with 247 wins.
The Italians have not won a title since 2008, however.
"It (McLaren) is just an iconic, legendary racing team," said Zak Brown, who became CEO in 2018 and has led his men and women back to the top after years in the doldrums.
"The drivers that we've had over the years are amazing".
Roll call of Champions from Fittipaldi to Norris
The roll call of champions testifies to that, with Britain's Norris the latest on the list.
After Fittipaldi came James Hunt (1976), Niki Lauda (1984), Alain Prost (1985, 1986, 1989), Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), Mika Hakkinen (1998, 1991) and Lewis Hamilton (2008).
Other champions to have raced for the team at some point include Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Denny Hulme, Nigel Mansell, Kimi Raikkonen, Keke Rosberg and Jody Scheckter.
"To see my name alongside some of these guys is very special," said Norris, who has driven for the team since his F1 debut in 2019.
The Briton described the current team as 'one big happy family', which was not always the case.
McLaren, in the Ron Dennis era that started in 1981, were an innovative powerhouse with seven constructors' titles between 1984 and 1998.
Dennis started out as a mechanic and stood out for his attention to detail and vision -- the award-winning factory in Woking and road car company are testament to that -- while taking McLaren back to the top from a late 1970s slump.
While he could appear obsessive and abrasive in a less fan-focused era, and was famed also for his use of convoluted 'Ronspeak' expressions, the team's success was enviable.
In 1988 McLaren won all but one race with Senna and Prost, whose rivalry and feuding lit up the track in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 2007, Hamilton's debut year, McLaren were fined a record $100 million by the governing FIA for being found illegally in possession of confidential Ferrari information in an infamous 'spygate' case.
Dennis was ousted in 2017, the sporting giant's reign ended after a boardroom coup with Bahrain's Mumtalakat investment fund in control.
McLaren returned to the top in 2024 with the constructors' title and both championships in 2025, the fan-focused team returning to the bright papaya colours of old.
"It's all about people," said Brown, an American. "When I started, the team had definitely gone through tough times. We were ninth in the championship, we didn't have many partners and the partners we had weren't very happy.
"Our fans were disgruntled, a lot of politics inside the racing team.
"What was great was our brand. It wasn't in a great place but you can't take away the history and heritage".
Team principal Andrea Stella, who worked at Ferrari during a golden era with seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, said McLaren -- like the Italian team -- were defined by their legacy.
"It started with our founder Bruce McLaren, a young guy, he wanted to build something incredible and he followed his dreams, he made it happen," said the Italian.
Reuters