The McLaren MP4-16 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the 2001 Formula One season

2001 Formula One season

The 2001 Formula One season was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One racing. It featured the FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 4, 2001 and ended on October 14 after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher won the Drivers title with a record margin of 58 points, after achieving...

. It was driven by double world champion Mika Häkkinen

Mika Häkkinen

Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...

 and David Coulthard

David Coulthard

David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...

. 2001 marked their sixth season together as McLaren team-mates.

After being narrowly pipped to both titles in by Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

, the aim of 2001 was to get McLaren back on top. However, the season proved to be frustrating in more ways than one. The chassis was good, but it was not developed enough to keep pace with Ferrari or new rivals Williams

WilliamsF1

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...

 and also suffered from niggling aerodynamic problems; the Mercedes-Benz engines were less powerful than Williams' BMW units but less reliable than Ferrari's in-house efforts; and the team did not do a good enough job regarding the return of electronic driver aids.

Moreover, Häkkinen had his least successful season since , suffering both from appalling luck and a loss of form at many races. Despite winning two Grands Prix, he elected to retire at the end of the season, and would be replaced by compatriot Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...

. Coulthard, by contrast, produced the best season of his career to date, winning two races early on and mounting a championship challenge to Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...

. However, McLaren lost this early parity with Ferrari and he was fortunate to keep second place in the Drivers' Championship ahead of Ferrari's number two, Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...

.

Similarly, the team regarded themselves as fortunate to come second in the Constructors' Championship, with 102 points, ahead of the resurgent Williams team.

Complete Formula One results

(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	WCC
	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...			AUS 2001 Australian Grand Prix The 2001 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 2001 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the 66th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first race of the 2001 Formula One season...	MAL 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at theSepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia on March 18, 2001. The race, contested over 55 laps, was won by Ferrari's Michael Schumacher...	BRA 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Interlagos Circuit on April 1, 2001.This exciting Grand Prix had three notable incidents, two of them being overtaking moves, both on Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, and both taking place at the "Senna S" corner of the track.The...	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON 2001 Monaco Grand Prix The 2001 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 27, 2001.- Classification :- Notes :*David Coulthard started this race at the back of the grid, having stalled on pole.*This race gave the Jaguar team their first podium finish....	CAN 2001 Canadian Grand Prix The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 10, 2001. It was the 8th round of the 2001 Formula One season.-Race:...	EUR 2001 European Grand Prix The 2001 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on June 24, 2001.After an exciting qualifying session, it was Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari who grabbed pole position from brother Ralf Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya in the Williams-BMWs. This proved to be an...	FRA 2001 French Grand Prix The 2001 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Magny-Cours on July 1, 2001.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Ralf Schumacher 23 , Michael Schumacher 39 , David Coulthard 1 , Juan Pablo Montoya 9 *Fastest Lap: David Coulthard 1m 16.088s*Pole Position: Ralf Schumacher 1m...	GBR 2001 British Grand Prix The 2001 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 15, 2001 at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. It was the eleventh race of the 2001 Formula One season...	GER	HUN 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 19, 2001. This race saw Michael Schumacher win his fourth World Championship and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 Grand Prix victories.- Classification :- Notes :...	BEL	ITA 2001 Italian Grand Prix The 2001 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 16, 2001.This was the first F1 race held after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. As a mark of respect, several teams altered their cars' liveries. The Ferraris ran without any sponsorship livery and...	USA 2001 United States Grand Prix The 2001 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 30, 2001 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the first international sport/race event held in USA after the September 11, 2001 attacks.__FORCETOC__...	JPN 2001 Japanese Grand Prix The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 14, 2001 at the Suzuka Circuit. The race was won by Michael Schumacher who started from pole position....	102	2nd
				Mika Häkkinen Mika Häkkinen Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...	Ret	6	Ret	4	9	Ret	Ret	3	6	DNS	1	Ret	5	4	Ret	1	4
				David Coulthard David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...	2	3	1	2	5	1	5	Ret	3	4	Ret	Ret	3	2	Ret	3	3