McLaren at 50

The milestone was marked with a very special celebration at the teams HQ in Woking. It was a celebration of the company and the racing team as a whole. Jenson Button and Sergio Perez were part of the celebrations as they got behind the wheel of some of the greatest racing cars ever made.

On September 2nd 1963 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd was formally incorporated, back then the New Zealander gathered a small number of people together to design, build and race the cars. From that original base in New Malden, Surrey, the company grew and grew into one of the biggest names in motorsport.

In the 50 years since that historic day back in 1963, McLaren have won 182 Grand Prix, eight constructors' championships and 12 drivers' titles. The teams first Formula 1 Grand Prix was in Monaco 1966. Since then, they have been a house hold name and a motor racing legend. Jenson Button commented, saying “I've never hidden my pride at being a McLaren driver. I grew up watching this team achieving great things with Ayrton Senna and my racing hero, Alain Prost”.

At this special event, team principle Martin Whitmarsh said, “To witness the scope and scale of our growth across the past five decades has been truly astonishing, From our humble beginnings, McLaren has not only become a world-renowned sporting force, but also a byword for superlative technical excellence and attention to detail”. The celebrations at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking were followed by the world premier of the Hollywood Movie, RUSH. McLaren feature significantly as it takes the viewers back the epic 1976 title fight between McLaren's James Hunt and Ferrari's Niki Lauda. This is possibly the most famous rivalry and championship battle in Formula 1 history. RUSH is officially released in UK cinemas on 13th September.

At this weekends Italian Grand Prix in Monza, McLaren will officially commemorate their 50th anniversary with the rest of the paddock. It is sure to be a very special weekend. McLaren is a fantastic British company which we should all be very proud of. From very humble beginnings this small motor company has become one of the worlds top car brands, and one of the most historic and successful Formula 1 teams.

We personally wish McLaren a very happy 50th anniversary, and wish you all the very best of success in the future.

For all the latest Formula 1 news including full coverage of the Italian Grand Prix, log onto Driving For Pleasure and click on “Live F1”. Your can follow Tom on Twitter @TomWilkinsonF1 for live updates and all the build-up to the Italian Grand Prix.