With only a one-point difference at the moment, the McLaren duel between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is set to reach a boiling point in the coming weeks. And then there’s Max Verstappen breathing down the team’s neck. Thus, the internal struggle could turn into a nightmare for McLaren, as has happened before in the team’s rich history.
Senna vs Prost
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost had a competitive, but clean relationship in their first year together at McLaren. The Frenchman was a two-time world champion and the Brazilian arrived in Woking with the reputation of being the fastest driver on the field. Senna clinched the title in a season where McLaren won 15 out of 16 GPs. Ron Dennis thought he had the team dynamics under control heading into 1989, but things spiraled out of control just two races into the season.
A non-aggression pact before the start of the San Marino Grand Prix led to a dispute between the two drivers. Prost claimed that Senna had not kept to the agreement. The Brazilian had to reluctantly apologize, and by the time the Monaco GP was scheduled, the two McLaren drivers were no longer speaking to each other.
The team was split in two, with only team manager Jo Ramirez maintaining good relations with both drivers. Prost felt that the management and Honda were completely on Senna’s side. The climax came in Japan after there had already been some incidents. There was a collision at the Suzuka circuit. Prost eventually clinched the title when Senna was disqualified for cutting the chicane.
The following year, Gerhard Berger replaced Prost at McLaren and since he posed little threat to Senna, peace returned to Ron Dennis’s team in 1990.
Hamilton vs Alonso: A Rivalry That Defined a Season
The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso escalated so much in 2007 that neither of them became champion. They lost the title to Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari, despite the McLaren drivers dominating most of the season.
Alonso joined McLaren that season as a two-time world champion from Renault, theoretically making him the team’s lead driver. However, his teammate turned out to be rookie Lewis Hamilton, and no one had told the English driver that he was supposed to play ‘second fiddle’.
Alonso, Dennis, and the rest of the team quickly discovered that Hamilton could challenge the world champion. After the Australian Grand Prix, the season’s opening race, the Spaniard’s entourage was even convinced that McLaren favored Hamilton.
Dennis then conspicuously had a one-on-one conversation with Alonso on a bench somewhere at the Bahrain International Circuit. This was to show the world how well they could get along. However, on the track, tensions flared. Hamilton was frustrated that he had to maintain his position in Monaco, while Alonso lost his temper when Hamilton achieved his first pole position in Montreal and subsequently won his first Grand Prix.
Both drivers made crucial mistakes: Alonso crashed in Fuji, Hamilton got stranded entering the pit lane in Shanghai. All of this, plus the internal struggle, ultimately allowed a driver from another team, Räikkönen, to become champion thanks to an impressive comeback.
