F1 Designer Gordon Murray Awarded Britain’s Highest Honor

Motorsports legend made Commander of the British Empire for ‘services to motoring.’

British motorsports legend Gordon Murray, automotive designer and engineer of Formula 1 racing cars and the McLaren F1, has been awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honors 2019. The accolade is in recognition of his “services to motoring” after a lifetime of devising and delivering creative, ground-breaking projects in the motorsport and automotive sectors.

“It is extremely humbling to receive a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honors,” said Murray. “I’ve spent more than 50 years doing what I love, working with a wealth of highly-talented and creative people around the world, but primarily in the U.K. From competing during the heyday of Formula One, to designing the world’s fastest supercar, I’ve loved every minute.”

Having designed his first car in 1967, Murray moved to the U.K. to join the Brabham Formula One Team as Technical Director, winning two world championships (1981 and 1983), and then moved to McLaren International as Technical Director in 1988, where the team won three consecutive championships: 1988, 1989, and 1990.

‘I’ve spent more than 50 years doing what I love… From competing during the heyday of Formula One, to designing the world’s fastest supercar, I’ve loved every minute.’

Having accrued 50 Grand Prix wins in Formula One, he went on to establish a new company – McLaren Cars Limited. The Company’s first project was the renowned McLaren F1 Road Car. A racing version won two world sports car championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1995. Murray guided several other successful projects at McLaren Cars, culminating with the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren program.

In 2005 Murray formed a new British company for the design, engineering, prototyping and development of vehicles: Gordon Murray Design Limited, which is responsible for an innovative manufacturing technology called iStream.