McLaren MP4-17

The McLaren MP4-17 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the 2002 and 2003 Formula One seasons. The chassis was designed by Adrian Newey, Mike Coughlan, Neil Oatley and Peter Prodromou with Mario Illien designing the bespoke Ilmor engine. It was driven by David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen in both seasons.

McLaren MP4-17
McLaren MP4-17D

Category	Formula One
Constructor	McLaren
Designer(s)	Adrian Newey (Technical Director) Mike Coughlan (Chief Designer) Neil Oatley (Design Director) Peter Prodromou (Head of Aerodynamics)
Predecessor	MP4-16
Successor	MP4-18 / MP4-19
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoque
Suspension (front)	double wishbone, inboard torsion bar/damper system, pushrod and bell crank-activated
Suspension (rear)	double wishbone, inboard torsion bar/damper system, pushrod and bell crank-activated
Engine	Ilmor-built Mercedes-Benz FO110M / FO110P 3.0-litre V10 (90º) naturally-aspirated mid-engine
Transmission	McLaren 7-Speed longitudinal semi-automatic sequential
Power	845-850 hp @ 18,500 rpm[1]
Fuel	Mobil 1
Tyres	Michelin
Competition history
Notable entrants	West McLaren Mercedes
Notable drivers	3/5. David Coulthard 4/6. Kimi Räikkönen
Debut	2002 Australian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 33 3 23 2 5
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The team did not perform as well as expected in 2002, in a season dominated by Ferrari, and due to the unreliability of the car; they eventually finished third in the Constructors' Championship with 65 points and one victory (in Monaco).

Using a development version of the car, the MP4-17D, the 2003 season started very promisingly with wins at the first two grands prix of the year, one each for Coulthard and Räikkönen. However, rival teams soon caught up as McLaren was sidetracked by the development of the McLaren MP4-18, a radical new design, which due to reliability problems, never raced in anger. As a result, the team gradually fell slightly further back as the season progressed, allowing rivals, developing their cars more efficiently, to catch up. However, despite this setback, Räikkönen consistently finished in the points and challenged Michael Schumacher for the championship all the way up to the last race, eventually losing the title by only 2 points. The team again finished third in the Constructors' Championship, and having 142 points, just two points behind Williams F1.