16 April 2026 17:30 (UTC)
After Ayrton’s emphatic semi-final win earlier this week, it’s time to vote for your remaining finalists in the race for McLaren’s Greatest Grand Prix win
To the surprise of no one, Ayrton Senna dominated the opening round of voting for McLaren’s Greatest Grand Prix, with the iconic Brazilian finishing first, second, and third in Tuesday’s first semi-final.
As we continue to build towards our 1,000th Grand Prix, we asked fans to choose their favourite race from our illustrious history. After narrowing the selection to 20 historic Grands Prix, we split them into two semi-finals, revealing the first 10 contenders earlier this week.
With voting now closed, we can confirm that Ayrton’s 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix victory topped the poll with an impressive 25% of the vote. His 1993 European Grand Prix triumph followed with 19%, while his 1988 Japanese Grand Prix win secured 16%. McLaren’s first-ever Formula 1 victory, delivered by founder Bruce McLaren, finished fourth with 12%, while Alain Prost’s 1986 Australian Grand Prix victory rounded out the top five with 5%.
We can now announce the next 10 contenders as voting opens for the second semi-final. McLaren Racing Club members are able to vote for one race in each semi-final, with the top 10 from each progressing to the final. Take a look at the shortlist below and cast your vote at the bottom of this page.
Following the departure of Ayrton Senna and his tragic death at Imola in 1994, McLaren entered a sustained period of decline, failing to win a race in a season for the first time since 1980. But in the 1997 opener in Australia, David Coulthard kick-started a new era, claiming our first win in four years – and the first with Mercedes power.
Just one year on from that breakthrough, McLaren had re-established itself as a winning force. Mika Häkkinen spearheaded the charge, going wheel-to-wheel with Ferrari and Michael Schumacher. Their title fight went down to the final round in Japan, where Mika delivered an emphatic victory to seal the first of his two Drivers’ Championships.
Best remembered for Mika’s iconic overtake on Michael Schumacher, this was a superb victory from the Finn. After being initially blocked, Mika lined up another move out of La Source, sweeping past Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta in a breathtaking double overtake.
Arguably, Kimi Räikkönen’s greatest race, certainly among F1’s finest performances. Starting 17th, he surged to 12th on the opening lap before carving through the field. He obliterated a six-second deficit to leader Giancarlo Fisichella, arriving on his gearbox with three laps to go, and completed a stunning last-lap pass to seal victory in unforgettable style.
An elite wet-weather performance. In miserable conditions, Lewis Hamilton sent it off the line to launch from fourth to second by the end of the first corner. A daring overtake of race leader Heikki Kovalainen followed at the inside of Stowe just a few laps later, before he began to break away from the pack. Such was his dominance, Lewis crossed the line a minute ahead of his nearest rival, having lapped all bar his fellow podium scorers.
One of the most cinematic endings Formula 1 has ever seen. Some 38 seconds after Felipe Massa had won the race, and at that point, the World Championship, Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock at the final corner of the last lap to take the fifth place he needed to beat the Ferrari driver to the title.
At four hours, four minutes, and 39 seconds, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix remains the longest in Formula 1 history. In a rain-hit race full of delays, collisions with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, plus a stop for repairs, dropped Jenson Buttonto last. He produced a remarkable recovery, carving through the field into podium contention in the closing stages. On the final lap, Jenson completed the comeback by capitalising on a mistake from Sebastian Vettel to snatch victory.
Daniel Ricciardo’s sole win in papaya was an exceptionally popular one, as he ended our nine-year wait for a victory. After a strong start, he was perfectly placed when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided at the first chicane. Taking the lead, Daniel controlled the race, while Lando passed Charles Leclerc for second to complete a memorable 1-2.
Oscar Piastri’s maiden F1 Grand Prix win in Hungary established his status as a front-runner, but it was his second in Azerbaijan that grabbed the attention. After a race-long battle with Charles Leclerc, he executed an ambitious, high-risk overtake for the lead before delivering a composed defensive drive to secure victory.
Every driver wants to win their home Grand Prix, and at Silverstone in 2025, Lando Norris achieved this dream in front of his own ‘Landostand’. It marked a historic result for the team, ending a 17-year wait for victory at home with a dominant 1–2. In wet conditions early in the race, Lando picked off Max Verstappen before benefiting from a mid-race penalty for Piastri to take control of the race ahead of his team-mate.
Vote for your choice below:
