The McLaren MP4/4 – Still the Greatest F1 Car in Gran Turismo 7
When deciding the greatest F1 car in a racing game like Gran Turismo 7, there‘s no better choice than the legendary McLaren MP4/4. Driven by Senna and Prost in the 1988 season, this innovative McLaren was in a league of its own, winning 15 out of 16 races. Even over 30 years later, the MP4/4‘s stunning balance, power, and poise make it hugely enjoyable to drive in GT7 – a testament to its status as perhaps the single greatest F1 car ever made.
Why the MP4/4 is Considered the Best F1 Car Ever
The McLaren MP4/4 is rightfully regarded by experts and fans as the pinnacle of F1 engineering. Its achievements and numbers speak for themselves:
- 1988 Driver‘s Championship – Senna
- 1988 Constructor‘s Championship – McLaren
- 15 wins from 16 races – a 93.8% win record!
- 10 fastest laps
- 15 pole positions
- Four 1-2 finishes in the first four races of 1988
The genius designer Gordon Murray created an F1 car that was leaps ahead of the competition in almost every way. Weighing just 505kg with the powerfully turbocharged Honda 1.5L V6 putting out a mammoth 650 horsepower, its power-to-weight ratio exceeds that of contemporary hybrid F1 cars. Advanced aerodynamics including the game-changing undertray provided unbelievable levels of downforce and grip. All driven by two absolute titans behind the wheel in Senna and Prost, the MP4/4 had a degree of dominance never seen before or since in F1.
Statistics aside, contemporaries and experts regard the MP4/4 as an icon due to its sheer ability. To utterly crush the competition requires not just power or grip but a harmonic balance between every aspect of a car. The MP4/4 achieved this balance to perfection thanks to Murray‘s brilliant and innovative design.
Driving the MP4/4 in GT7 – An Authentic Connection to History
The MP4/4‘s legendary capabilities translate beautifully into GT7. With crisp throttle response, lightning quick gear changes, and immediate turn-in, it drives exactly as an intensely powerful yet perfectly poised F1 car should. The connection between input and response builds a sensation unlike any road car – you feel directly plugged into the capabilities of this automotive icon.
Crucially, unlike the ridiculous concept Vision Gran Turismos with abstractly extreme power, the MP4/4 gives you an authentic taste of its real-world dominance. It doesn‘t have the raw power of a 2500 hp Tomahawk on the straights, but sweep through flowing corners or complex sections and the MP4/4‘s balance and grip create speed from finesse rather than brute force. Wringing every ounce of performance from this F1 legend machine is immensely rewarding.
MP4/4 (GT7) vs Other F1 Greats
| Car | Peak Power (HP) | Power/Weight Ratio | Titles/Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4/4 | ~650 | 1.3 hp/kg | 1988 Driver‘s & Constructor‘s Championships, 15 wins |
| Ferrari F2004 | ~900 | 1.25 hp/kg | 2004 Driver‘s Championship, 15 wins |
| Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid | ~800 | 1 hp/kg | 2016 Driver‘s & Constructor‘s Championships, 19 wins |
Compared to other historic icons like the Ferrari F2004 or Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid, the MP4/4 clearly has a power and power-to-weight ratio right at the cutting edge even against contemporary F1 cars. Most importantly, it pairs this with the most balanced chassis and aerodynamics ever seen.
Why Real F1 Cars Beat Extreme Hypercars in GT7
Vision Gran Turismos like the Tomahawk X and Jaguar Vision GT SV may hit outrageous speeds, but they fail to capture the true magic of track driving. Being unleashed concepts detached from reality, they rely on absurd power alone to go fast. This one-dimensional speed denies you the joy of learning a car‘s nuances or mastering the synergy between multiple systems to find performance.
The sheer excess of the VGTs erases the human element of driving skill. Point the nose and mash the throttle to the floor for victory. Whereas the McLaren MP4/4 challenges you to analyze corners, incrementally build speed, and track conditions to set up overtakes and hit apexes perfectly. It engages your focus in the moment rather than simply overwhelming it.
You feel actively plugged into the MPs/4‘s engineering prowess rather than divorced from any mechanical sympathy. Its legendary capabilities become a expertise to unlock rather than raw arbitrary speed to hold on to. Mastering this icon draws you into the richness and reward missing from the one-dimensional world of ultimate hypercars.
Conclusion – MP4/4, the Greatest F1 Car in GT7
The McLaren MP4/4 hasn‘t lost any of its magical abilities in Gran Turismo 7 decades later after its absolute domination in reality. With authentic handling reflecting its unparalleled levels of grip, response, power and balance from Gordon Murray‘s brilliant engineering, getting behind the wheel is an honor every bit as special as drivers like Senna and Prost experienced.
No other car, whether real life legends like the Ferrari 250 GTO or imaginary hyperspace rockets like the Tomahawk, provide the same level of immersion and reward. You become intrinsically linked to driving this automotive icon through your skill and focus, not just holding on and aiming vaguely at the horizon. The MP4/4 showcases why legends of race engineering stand the test of time as the greatest cars in racing video games. They engage the human passion for mastery behind the wheel rather than relying solely on abstract speed.
So while Vision GT concepts grab the headlines, real racing icons like the McLaren MP4/4 represent the pinnacle of enjoyment. Its balance borders on sublime, its power is delivered with knife-edge precision, and its capabilities challenge you to reach perfection behind the wheel lap after lap. The MP4/4 utterly deserved all its real world records – and deserves its reputation as the greatest Formula 1 car to grace our virtual garages.
