3D model preview
2018
McLaren's first Renault-powered hybrid car exposed aerodynamic limitations but began the technical reset that eventually returned the team to the front.
Exhibit
Technical timeline
MCL33 · 2018
Interactive 3D model · McLaren MCL33
Technical timeline
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Guided route
01
The late decision to replace Honda with Renault forced McLaren to adapt an existing chassis concept to a different engine installation. The packaging was completed in little time, but the car generated too much drag for its downforce and revealed that the team's problems went beyond the previous power unit.
02
Fernando Alonso scored points regularly early in the year, yet development stalled and McLaren slipped backwards. That difficult season forced a structural review whose effects became visible in the much more competitive cars that followed.
Archive provenance
McLaren MCL33
Sources & credits
Model correspondence
Matching source
The source names the same car as this exhibit. The geometry is the creator's reconstruction, not an official scan.
This non-official historical visualization uses Excalibur's model under Sketchfab public embed. Its geometry is the creator's reconstruction rather than an official scan; the displayed marks belong to their respective owners.