Gordon Murray Says It’s Easier to Win an F1 Championship Than Le Mans—Here’s Why
The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been run since 1923 and still offers what might be the stiffest test for sports car manufacturers and racers, combining speed and reliability. Formula 1 is a slightly different proposition, and Gordon Murray, the legendary car designer who has made cars for both competitions, said recently that F1 is easier to win, too.
Murray is best known as the designer of the McLaren F1, one of the greatest cars ever made, a version of which raced at Le Mans in 1995 and won. Murray also was the technical director of McLaren’s Formula 1 team when Ayrton Senna won his first Drivers’ Championship in 1988 with the team.
More from Robb Report
Moët & Chandon Is Back as the Official Champagne Sponsor of Formula 1
This Race Car Made Brawn GP Surprise F1 Champions. Now It's up for Auction.
But in an interview with Top Gear this week Murray said that the Le Mans win with the F1 was the sweeter (and more difficult) of the two, in part because it was so unexpected. Murray set out to redefine sports cars with the three-seat F1, or at least outdo the Ferrari F40, and doing so solidified his reputation for good.
“It’s very satisfying that it’s being recognized now,” Murray told Top Gear of the F1. “Not because of its value, there’s nothing clever about that, but because of what it stood for. The world’s first carbon road car, the first with ground effect, the carbon clutch. . .all that stuff. It was so different. At the time, the media focused on the fact that it could do 240 mph. That didn’t interest me at all. Never has. And then it won Le Mans, which I think was the biggest achievement of all. Winning Le Mans is more difficult than winning the Formula One world championship.”
Winning either competition is a career highlight for any manufacturer and driver, and each are part of one version of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, which also includes the Indianapolis 500. For drivers, Formula 1 glory is more prized, since it comes with greater money and fame. For manufacturers, Le Mans has always been the real test, which is why Ford famously went after Ferrari there.
For car designers like Murray, Le Mans is also a greater challenge than F1 since reliability is such an important factor. Le Mans is also more unpredictable because it’s 24 hours versus F1’s two. Coming out on top after a full day and night of big speed is all the sweeter.
Murray didn’t stop at comparing F1 and Le Mans. Elsewhere in the Top Gear interview, he threw some shade at a few of his fellow icons.
“We’re a dying breed,” Murray said. “Engine, gearbox, aero, the fuel system, cooling, suspension, the setup. . .the only person, I think, who could manage all of it in the same way was Mauro Forghieri [Scuderia Ferrari’s legendary technical director in the 1960s and 1970s]. Maybe Carlo Chiti, too, who I worked with when Brabham ran Alfa Romeo engines. Colin Chapman never drew anything. Enzo Ferrari was a great entrepreneur and petrolhead but didn’t draw. I always loved F1, sports car racing, and road cars. I’ve done all three and still enjoy all three.”
Best of Robb Report
Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
