10 years of BAE System and McLaren

With the Formula One season gearing up for launch in Bahrain this weekend (Sunday 12thMarch), scientists and engineers from BAE Systems’ Advanced Technology Centre promoted technologies covering a wide range of fields, from new Computer Aided Design and machining methods, to aerospace composites and electronics, and from weather sensors to communications, all of which might have a possible Formula 1 application.

BAE Systems, the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company, this year celebrates a decade as a technology partner for Team McLaren Mercedes and the company marked the anniversary with a ground-breaking event at the McLaren Technology Centre, to showcase some of its cutting edge technologiesBAE Systems and Team McLaren Mercedes are working on technologies to enhance the team’s chance of track success. Last year Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-20 car was the quickest on the grid, and only narrowly missed out on the Constructors’ title, despite winning 10 races – over 50% of the season’s Grand Prix.

In 1996 - when the partnership began – it was largely focused on aerodynamics. Professor Dave Gardner, former BAE Systems Group Engineering Director, who, together with Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO, McLaren Group, was originally responsible for setting up the partnership recalls: “The drivers at that time had been experiencing handling difficulties with the car and we helped the team to trace the problem to the aerodynamics of the front wing. We then got together with the Team McLaren Mercedes aerodynamicists and design engineers to optimise the wing design and Mika Hakinnen went on to win the Drivers’ Word Championship in both 1998 and 1999.”

Currently the partnership is researching and developing a host of other technologies to improve performance, including recent advances in carbon fibre techniques, wireless systems and fuel management.

Jonathan Neale, McLaren Racing Managing Director, said: “Obviously our ultimate goal is to improve the performance of the car, and BAE Systems has precisely the sort of technology that can do this.”

BAE Systems aims to learn as much from Team McLaren Mercedes as it gives, particularly when it comes to studying the speed of the build and operations processes in Formula One.

Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO McLaren Group said: “By anybody’s standards, BAE Systems is a technology power house. It provides us with great technology at all levels, whether it be aerodynamics, simulation, mechanical design or IT. We share the same commitment to innovation and the pursuit of excellence through leading edge technology and we both have world-class aspirations. It is a true partnership in every sense.”

Memorable events during the decade long partnership include Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard testing their handling skills in a Eurofighter Typhoon flight simulator, Ron Dennis officially opening the BAE Systems led Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) at Loughborough University, and a Eurofighter Typhoon racing a Team McLaren Mercedes F1 car.

About McLaren Racing:

McLaren Racing, the company behind Team McLaren Mercedes team, formed in September 1980 as a result of a merger between Team McLaren and Project Four, a British company owned by Ron Dennis, now Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group. McLaren has competed in Formula One since 1966 and since then is the most successful Formula One team with 148 Grands Prix wins. The team has also claimed eleven Formula One Drivers’ World Championships and eight Formula One World Constructors’ Championship and to date, McLaren has raced in 596 Grands Prix.

The McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England, the McLaren Group’s headquarters, has been developed on a 50 hectare site. The facility includes design studios, laboratories, research and testing facilities, electronics development, machine shops and production facilities for the McLaren Mercedes Formula One cars and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

About BAE Systems:

BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded GB £15.4 billion (US$28 billion) in 2005.