Both drivers currently sit within the top 10 in the Drivers’ Championship, with 21-year-old Norris in a very respectable third place, with 37 points and one podium (a third place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix), and Riccardo not far behind in seventh, with 16 points. As a result, McLaren is third in the Constructors’ Championship. While young gun Norris is flying ahead in this season, Ricciardo is an old hand at the sport, with seven wins and 31 podiums amassed over a decade of racing. How they will both adapt from the high-tech McLaren MCL35M to the MP4s remains to be seen, but their presence guarantees style and speed.
As for the cars themselves, fans of Formula 1 will need very little in the way of introductions. As we said in our list of the nine best F1 cars of all time, the MP4/4 is statistically the most successful F1 creation ever, winning 15 out of 16 races in the 1988 season. The MP4/5B and MP4/6 were both less dominant but still took Senna to the Drivers’ title and McLaren to the Constructors’ in 1990 and 1991.
Festival of Speed tickets are still on sale but limited, so if you haven’t already booked your tickets make sure you do soon!