• June 26 down the years

The tale of the missing McLaren

2003
Several months into the season and McLaren's new car failed yet another crash test. The radical MP4-18 was meant to be the team's 2003 car, but in pre-season testing it soon became clear it would not be able to race due to a number of unexplained accidents, overheating problems and failed crash tests. Instead the team ran an evolved version of 2002's MP4-17, called the MP4-17D. The updated chassis ended up racing throughout the season and took Kimi Raikkonen within two points of the drivers' championship. The MP4-18 was eventually dropped completely, although the basic concept of the chassis made its way into the 2004's MP4-19 and MP4-19B, with the latter eventually winning the Belgian Grand Prix. One of the MP4-18 chassis tested by David Coulthard in 2003 is now used in McLaren's simulator.

1906
The first race to be held under the title grand prix started on this day at Le Mans. The race took place over two days with six laps of the 64 mile course taking place on the June 26 and another 6 laps on the June 27. Overnight the cars were held in Parc Ferme before racing resumed the next day. 32 cars entered and set off at 90-second intervals onto the long and daunting road course. The eventual winner was Ferenc Szisz in a Renault, 32 minutes ahead of Felice Nazzaro driving a FIAT.

2002
Ferrari was fined $1 million for breaking podium protocol at the Austrian Grand Prix earlier that year. Rubens Barrichello had moved over on track to allow Michael Schumacher to win, but on the podium Schumacher pushed his reluctant team-mate onto the top step of the podium in an attempt to appease the booing crowd. But rather than slapping a fine on the team for disgracing F1 (team orders were legal at the time), the FIA could only penalise Ferrari for its antics on the posium. At the time Bernie Ecclestone said: "There are team orders in bicycle racing and whatever. I don't think we should change it. It's a team event. In this case it didn't make any difference to the constructors' championship and as you can now see it didn't make any difference to the world drivers' championship either."

2005
Max Mosley all but ignored calls for his resignation after the disastrous US Grand Prix in which only six cars took part in due to safety concerns over Michelin tyres. Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, whose team was one of the three that took part, said Mosley should stand down after rumours emerged that a resolution to the tyre problem was vetoed by a single team and the FIA just hours before the start of the race. Sir Jackie Stewart also called for Mosely to resign, but the FIA president responded: "It doesn't particularly bother me. My predecessor [Jean-Marie Balestre], when he had a conflict like this [in the FIA versus FOCA war] - and I must say I was on the other side with the teams - we used to ask him to resign on an hourly basis. He never took any notice. The fact is that the referee is often unpopular, it's something you can't avoid." Asked what his response would be if the teams demanded he quit, Mosley said: "I'd take not the slightest notice. I'm not here to try to be friends with the teams, I'm here to see that Formula One is run safely and fairly and that the rules are observed and it's the same for everyone."

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