The McLaren MP4-19 is a Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 racing car that was built by McLaren. It was designed by Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey is a notable Formula One engineer and widely regarded one of the great engineers in the sport's history. He is the only designer to have won Constructors Championships with three different Formula One teams...

, and introduced at the beginning of the 2004 Formula One season

2004 Formula One season

The 2004 Formula One season was the 55th FIA Formula One World Championship season, running from March 7 to October 24, 2004. The season was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro...

. It was described as a "debugged version of the McLaren MP4-18

McLaren MP4-18

The McLaren MP4-18 was destined to be McLaren's racing car during the 2003 Formula One season. Following a disappointing season in 2002, which was mostly dominated by Ferrari's F2002, Mclaren team principal Ron Dennis decided a radical approach was needed to get back to the front...

." It was not a successful car, and the team suffered various problems concerning reliability at the beginning of the season. A new car was required by mid-season. The MP4-19B was basically an all new car with a radically redesigned aerodynamic package. The fact that Coulthard qualified third for its first race, the French Grand Prix

2004 French Grand Prix

The 2004 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 4, 2004 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. This race has become famous for a 4 stop strategy used by Michael Schumacher to beat Fernando Alonso's Renault.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:...

, gave the team hope of a better end to the season. This was justified when Räikkönen won the 2004 Belgian Grand Prix

2004 Belgian Grand Prix

The 2004 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 29, 2004 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was at this race that Michael Schumacher won his seventh world championship despite Kimi Räikkönen taking his and McLaren's only race win of the season from tenth place on the grid...

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The team eventually finished fifth in the constructors championship with 69 points.