McLaren MP4-23 - 2008 Brazilian GP - Hamilton

Driven by Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, the MP4-23 was McLaren’s contender for the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship season. An evolution of the highly competitive MP4-22, the 23 was designed to claim the mantle of World Constructors’ Champions back from Ferrari. The car's development was highly focused on aerodynamics, with the most notable change being the higher nosecone. Additionally, work was put into the sidepods, engine cooling, the front suspension, airbox surroundings, T-wings and the wheelbase.

After a good pre-season testing, where the car showed a similar pace to the Ferrari F2008, the MP4-23 scored a debut race win, as Hamilton claimed pole before converting it into victory. Podiums followed in Malaysia, Spain and Turkey before a second Hamilton win in Monaco. Further wins for Hamilton at Silverstone and Hockenheim put Hamilton top in the Drivers’ Championship whilst McLaren were falling behind Ferrari in the Constructors’ title race. Kovalainen scored his maiden victory in Hungary while consistent podiums for Hamilton in the European Grand Prix, Belgium and Singapore kept Hamilton top of the pile. A win at the penultimate race in China meant that Hamilton led his closest rival Felipe Massa by seven points going into the final race. Massa won the race in Brazil but Hamilton passed Timo Glock for fifth position in the final few corners, sealing his Drivers’ Championship win with the narrowest of margins.

Overall, the MP4-23 was driven to six victories, seven further podiums, scored 151 Championship points and won one Drivers’ Championship. Hamilton claimed his maiden title win with five race wins and five further podiums, scoring 98 points. This was eleven points less than the year before, when he lost out on winning the title by just one point.

This fine 1:8 scale model of the McLaren MP4-23 is an exact replica of the car in which Lewis Hamilton clinched his first world title at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. It has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops using detailed colour and material specifications, and original CAD data supplied directly from the drawing office of McLaren. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.

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