McLaren is preparing to mark a significant milestone this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, celebrating what the team considers its 1,000th Formula 1 grand prix start. However, confusion has emerged over the exact count, with some suggesting the Woking-based squad is actually on 998 starts from 1,003 entries, which would make Monaco race number 999 rather than the historic 1,000th.
The discrepancy centers on McLaren’s inclusion of the controversial 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis in their official tally. During that infamous weekend, McLaren drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen, along with six other teams running Michelin tyres, withdrew after the formation lap due to serious safety concerns over tire performance. Only three Bridgestone-equipped cars actually raced in what became known as the “six-car race.”
McLaren counts the 2005 Indianapolis race as their 586th start because both Montoya and Raikkonen took the green light for the formation lap before withdrawing. This differs from the recent Chinese Grand Prix, where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both failed to start due to power unit electrical issues, with Norris stuck in the garage and Piastri being wheeled off the grid before the formation lap began.
The milestone comes nearly six years after Ferrari reached 1,000 grand prix starts at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix. McLaren’s journey began at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix when team founder Bruce McLaren made his debut, making this weekend’s race particularly symbolic as it returns to the principality where it all started 60 years ago.
Throughout its Formula 1 history, McLaren has only failed to start four grand prix weekends: the 1966 Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix when Bruce McLaren’s car couldn’t take the start, the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix where both Niki Lauda and John Watson failed to qualify (the team’s only double DNQ), and this season’s Chinese Grand Prix with Norris and Piastri’s power unit problems.