14 May 2025
Megan, Lower Sixth
On Friday 9 May, 20 members of STEM Society spent an afternoon at McLaren F1 headquarters, exploring the history, innovations and various ways McLaren applies science in its award-winning cars, which have brought it one of the largest trophy collections in the world.
We learnt about the iconic Bruce McLaren, whose journey began with his burning passion for cars - building, driving, taking apart and reinventing them – and continued into racing them. In 1959, he became the youngest ever Grand Prix winner. Sadly, Bruce’s time in racing and engineering was cut too short by a crash while testing a car at the age of 32, but his legacy as an automotive designer, engineer and motorsport executive lives on through the engineers, drivers and staff who continue to innovate in his name.
You might think the rest of our visit was spent looking at fast cars, but this isn’t entirely true. We heard about the range of road cars the company has produced, events they’ve taken part in, the principles they use, their innovations, developments, software, hardware and the workshops where all the magic takes place.
In 1976 the MP4/4 Senna car driven by James Hunt, won 15 out of 16 races and was hailed as one of the greatest cars the company had developed. McLaren specialist Erin explained to us how the application of aerodynamics was advanced for its time, as seen in its three-part rear wing and its low drag design. This became the forerunner of the cars McLaren develop today using CAD, sketches and physics to predict airflow, reducing turbulence and ensuring laminar streamlines. This is achieved by intricacies of smallish ‘veins’ on either side the halo creating a vortex of wind and carried by larger ‘veins’ on the sides of the car to redirect airflow to the engine. These are tested on a scale 1:6 of the actual size to reduce waste of materials as they are very expensive.
Safety is, of course, a huge concern to every Formula 1 car engineer. When Bruce McLaren was racing, one in three drivers didn’t make it home to their loved ones. These statistics have changed so drastically that even the smallest injuries in racing are documented in many papers and articles. How has this changed so much? A large part of this is due to the carbon fibre chassis used, which are extremely lightweight and give excellent for protection due to their hard exterior.
We also had the privilege of observing McLaren’s team in action—mechanics practising lightning-fast part removals, engineers refining CAD designs, and technicians dissecting old vehicles to improve future builds.
The experience at McLaren Headquarters was one I’ll never forget. Whether it’s understanding how cars are built, how science saves lives, or how maths helps win races, McLaren proves that STEM leads to some of the most exciting and rewarding careers out there.