Automobilista 2 | 1997 McLaren MP4/12 Heading To The Simulation

[Paul Jeffrey]

Reiza Studios have confirmed the slightly delayed new mystery car coming to the simulation will be the epic West McLaren Mercedes MP4/12, as driven by Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard during the 1997 F1 season.

• McLaren MP4/12 will be added as free DLC content.
• The car will be released alongside a new build update for the simulation.

We knew a new car was heading to the simulation as part of this final August build update, and now the cat is out of the bag - the McLaren MP4/12 that raced in the 1997 Formula One World Championship is coming to Automobilista 2 - the final McLaren of the slicks generation before Formula One moved to grooved tyres for 1998.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1296913276291420162

Those of us who can remember 1997 (was it really 23 years ago?!?!?) will recall this particular McLaren had a special trick rear brake system, something that helped the Mercedes powered team to their first victory in Grand Prix racing since the great Ayrton Senna departed the team at the conclusion of the 1993 racing season.

Having found form towards the end of '97, the MP4/12 would act as something of a springboard for the team heading into the new Adrian Newey era for 1998, with Hakkinen catapulting himself into a champion driver for the following two years, while team mate Coulthard continued to rack up occasional race victories as his support wing man at the British team.

McLaren would win three races in 1997 on their way to third and sixth in the Drivers World Championship (following the exclusion of Michael Schumacher post Jerez Villeneuve shunt), and arguably the team produced their most attractive car of recent memory with the striking shape and new Mercedes and tobacco inspired silver livery.



Automobilista 2 is available now, exclusively on PC.

Got questions? Have answers? Want to chat about AMS 2 and don't know where to go? Worry not my friend, we have just the place for you! The Automobilista 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment welcomes you with open arms - come say hello!

 

[DriverJay]

Very Nice

 

[StevoK]

Awesome, my most favorite F1 car of all time. I remember when they transitioned to this livery, as a high school kid I loved it so much. And the last of the original wide track cars too. Funny thing... I always looked at the SAP sponsor logo wondering what it is....now my professional career revolves around it..

 

[Rolanda Ahnaf]

This DLC like F1 1997 Mclaren like Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. Good Work Reiza

 

[Rolanda Ahnaf]

Please make sure new dlc in spa francorchamps....

 

[Rolanda Ahnaf]

Like this. but the question is the west sponsor is not looked by reiza studios. thank you.

 

[Alex Townsend]

View attachment 400257

Like this. but the question is the west sponsor is not looked by reiza studios. thank you.

Its cigarette advertising. Cigarette smoking is banned in most places, like bars and restaurants, and the advertising was banned in most sports decades ago.
It's not a cool thing anymore. People have finally cottoned on to the fact it kills people... true story

 

[2stains]

I'm not sure whats going on but i think it maybe , just maybe that i'm just not as good a driver as Mika Häkkinen is/was (i find that very hard to believe thou

because i'm having a hard time getting this fiddle brake to make me faster

Super fun to drive though

 

[Alex Townsend]

Can't wait to try this out. But I need to fix my wheelbase to do so... a pad just won't do this title, and definitely not this car, justice

 

[Raikku]

Its cigarette advertising. Cigarette smoking is banned in most places, like bars and restaurants, and the advertising was banned in most sports decades ago.
It's not a cool thing anymore. People have finally cottoned on to the fact it kills people... true story

Maybe, but no one can deny that tobacco-liveries where maybe the greatest ones in motorsport's history. So bring them on, only stupid ppl let advertising affect to what they do or not.

 

[Icebear1991]

Always looks a bit strange with nothing on the sidepods; they should license up the Mika/David non-West branding

It would be nice to have the possibility to have your own name there (as long it is not too long).

 

[jason_peters]

The title goes from strength to strength with improvements in physics, AI and content - now my goto sim!!

This McLaren is one of my favs and for the best era (1994 to 1999) - god I’m old lol

many thanks Reiza

 

[David Wright]

I'm not a huge fan of driving "modern" F1 cars, but I am looking forward to this. So glad they went for the 97 car and not the 98. I hated the narrow track look and the grooved tyres. To me the 97 season cars were a high point aesthetically.

 

[atomed]

This is one of the most beautiul F1 cars of all time. It´s worthy to be in any sim only for the aesthetics .

 

[Aki Korhonen]

can we race with intelligence ai?not with schumacher ai?

 

[johnny_91]

I'm going to sound old now... but I saw this car at Silverstone and perhaps even Monza back in the day.
I too remember they banned cigarette advertising and they had David and Mika on the side pods.
Cars sounded terrific back then, you felt them. A proper visceral assault on the senses.

One of the reaon i never watched F1 since 2007, but also the cars looking ugly as hell since then. Today they look like inflated jetwings with four meters of wheelbase and too big/wide underbody. Also i dont like the colored tires, specially the ugly halo and the fact the races are held with only 20 cars. Then i think none of the drivers comes close in terms of "professionalism" and "charisma", that the old ones like Häkkinen, Couldhardt, Frentzen, Barichello, Irvine etc. had back in the days. Sometimes when i watch a interview with the "new guns", they act and look like whiney 8 year boys, wich got its matchboxcar stolen.

Really cannot identify with F1 anymore. Maybe the new reglement changes something. Give me a 24 - 30 car grid, no DRS- and kers bull****, good looking cars (like the ones from 1997 - 2006) as a new modern, safer version, mostly european tracks and drivers, who stop bit***** around over every little contact they made with a other driver. Maybe F1 got me back then.

 

[Ronaldoz87]

Nice car, I should power up my T300 again

 

[pennywiseguy]

So V10 Gen 1 is F1 1997, not 1996?

1996 and 1997 had pretty much the same regulations. I would say the Gen 1 is more 96, but does it really matter? It's not as if you have real 96 liveries on the gen 1.

Once skin packs are created, there will no doubt be 98 skins on the gen 2 which is based on 2002.

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

Your enthusiasm for a new amazing car is contagious

I thought the same about the MP4/13 in rFactor2! There's always workarounds (East I think I saw used in one F1 game ).

To be honest I haven't picked up AMS2 yet, but I plan to do so, for my YouTube "Every PC F1 Game" playlist (once I've finished doing Rally games).

 

[Alex Townsend]

Maybe, but no one can deny that tobacco-liveries where maybe the greatest ones in motorsport's history. So bring them on, only stupid ppl let advertising affect to what they do or not.

I beg to differ. Just because a colourful box of cancer sticks looks nice as a livery on a car does not mean that no other companies out there can sponsor and make a nice livery about something more positive.
You say only stupid people let advertising affect what they do... there must be quite a few people on the planet that it would affect then. So better it is kept out as it should be, don't you agree?

 

[Oldzeb]

again F1....