McLaren’s incredible progress throughout the 2023 Formula 1 season was a rapid escalation as the iconic team celebrated its 60th birthday. It’s not captured a title since 2008, but McLaren still ranks second in two of the most crucial F1 metrics: grand prix wins and drivers’ titles.
To honor the team’s rich history, a 60th anniversary gathering was organized and co-hosted by former longtime McLaren engineering and design employee Matthew Jeffreys and the team’s former sponsorship planner Richard West. Held on 8 November at the Old Thorns Hotel in Liphook, Hampshire, over 300 past and present employees, many of whom are members of the ‘McLaren Old Boys and Girls Association’, joined guest of honor Ron Dennis for a very special evening. And the organizers kindly allowed Motorsport.com to come along too.
McLaren’s story across F1, Indycar and Can-Am was represented by former staffers stretching back to employee number 3 Howden Ganley, as well as key family members, including Amanda McLaren, daughter of founder Bruce, Teddy Mayer’s widow Sally Dean, and Freddie Hunt, son of 1976 world champion James.
Engineers Gordon Coppuck, John Barnard, Steve Nichols, Neil Oatley and Adrian Newey– taking time out from penning the next of Red Bull’s dominant line of ground-effect machines– also attended, along with key figures such as Kathy Ojjeh, Jo Ramirez, Ekrem Sami and Martin Whitmarsh. Some may now work for other teams, but their presence highlighted the affection they still hold for McLaren.
The Ron Dennis era, which ran from the end of 1980 to 2017, stands as McLaren’s most successful, with 158 of its 183 GP wins, 10 drivers’ titles (of the team’s overall total of 12) and 7 constructors’ crowns (of 8). At times during that period, McLaren might have seemed a pretty cold place from the outside, but the evening showed that the feeling within the camp was very different.
Dennis made a moving speech that many accustomed to his addresses would have been surprised to hear. The stories of others also revealed the care Dennis took to look after his employees when needed. The word ‘family’ was used a lot and it didn’t feel forced, even though there were figures in the room who have not always seen eye to eye.
Picture by: Jeffreys/West/Harman
The reunion revealed a different side to Dennis than many would expect
John Watson, who scored the Dennis era’s first triumph at the 1981 British GP, appeared alongside Barnard to discuss the pioneering approach required to successfully bring carbon fiber to F1 with the MP4/1. And how he unintentionally crash-tested the concept at Monza in 1981!
In an evening filled with emotional moments, few were more poignant than when double world champion Mika Hakkinen was on the stage. The Finn, another who is more articulate than most would imagine, had already gotten the room in hysterics with a simple response to master of ceremonies West’s question of what made McLaren so great during his time there: “Me!”
