Monte Carlo - 16th-19th June 1996

May is always a special month for Formula One teams, as they travel to
the French Riviera to take part in the showpiece event of the FIA
Formula One World Championship calendar, the presitigious Monaco Grand
Prix, whose glamour would rival the nearby International Cannes Film
Festival.  The 1996 race will be of even greater significance for
Marlboro McLaren Mercedes: it will mark the 30th Anniversary of McLaren
competing in Formula one.

Marlboro McLaren Mercedes drivers Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard
were not even born when Bruce McLaren first raced the Formula One car
bearing his name in the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix.  He did not make it to
the finish, but one of Formula's greatest success stories had just
begun.  30 years later, McLaren ranks among the most successful Formula
One constructors in the history of motor racing, having accumulated 104
Grand Prix wins, nine Drivers and seven Contructors World Championship
titles in 432 races.  Over three decades, the names of Emerson
Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost amd Ayrton Senna, all
part of motor racing legend, have become forever associated with
McLaren.

Monaco will be the ideal venue to celebrate this anniversary, as it is
where McLaren has achieved its greatest number of Grand Prix victories,
with Ayrton Senna winning five times and Alain Prost four times.  The
team's expectations for this year's event have been raised by its
performance in the last two races in Germany and Italy.  However, the
unique features of 3.328km-long Monaco circuit as it twists around the
streets of Monte-Carlo present the Formula One drivers with avery
different challenge.  Overtaking is extremely difficult, and any hope
of obtaining a good result in the race will depend on their ability to
secure a top grid position during Sunday's single qualifying session.
The start of the race will also be crucial, and David Coulthard will be
keen to continue on his current blistering form.  Mika Hakkinen,
meanwhile, will strive to make the most of the current competitiveness
of the McLaren-Mercedes car on a circuit he loves.

At Monaco, the MP4/11 chassis will feature a number of further
developments, which were succcessfully tested at Imola last week, as
well as a mid-ship wing for additional downforce.  Meanwhile,
Mercedes-Benz have developed a new specification F0110 engine, which
will be made available to the team over the Grand Prix weekend.  Early
testing has demonstrated that it represented yet another significant
step forward for the German manufacturer.