The very first test of the MP4/4 still resonates in the memories of all those present. Cue in Neil Oatley, who joined McLaren in 1986 and is still the team's Design and Development Director, and who remembers the epic moment.
"After an extremely busy winter, we eventually had one MP4/4 ready for the final day of the final pre-season test of the winter at Imola – which was tight, even by our standards.
"I was there, as Alain’s race engineer, and we’d been successfully running the hybrid Honda-engine MP4/3B for several days. Then the new car arrived during the evening of the penultimate day – it wasn’t even fully finished, as it still needed some detail work before it could leave the garage in the morning.
"Alain drove the MP4/4 first and, even on his first proper run, he proved to be a couple of seconds faster than he’d been in the old car!
"It just felt right to the drivers right away – it was comfortable to drive, they knew it was going to do what they wanted, and the aerodynamic performance was obviously a real step forward."
