The "MP4" designation originates from the 1981 merger of Ron Dennis’s Project Four Racing with McLaren.
In 1988, F1 was transitioning away from turbos, imposing strict fuel limitations. The MP4/4 was built specifically to work within these constraints. g60711.mp4
The car achieved 15 poles and 15 wins out of 16 races, leading 1003 laps out of a possible 1031. The "MP4" designation originates from the 1981 merger