Iconic F1 designer reveals cancer diagnosis

Gordon Murray, one of the key architects of the iconic McLaren MP4/4 of 1988, has revealed a diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer.

Murray, 79, was given his chance as an F1 technical director by Bernie Ecclestone at Brabham in the 1970s, designing the infamous BT46B - also known as the Fan Car - before it was promptly banned. 

Murray's cars won the 1981 and 1983 drivers' titles for Nelson Piquet, before Ron Dennis enticed him to McLaren for 1987.  

At the team, Murray was instrumental in designing the MP4/4, which won 15 out of 16 races and handed Ayrton Senna his first title, before Murray-designed cars swept the next three seasons of titles - two for Senna and one for Alain Prost. He stepped back from F1 involvement in the mid-1990s.

He was also the designer of the famous McLaren F1 road car, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, South African Murray revealed that in 2024, he had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer which starts in the glands.

The Oesophageal cancer was caught early, with Murray undergoing chemotherapy and then a new type of surgery. 

His heart rate ballooned to 180bpm at times during the chemotherapy, with his heart being stopped to reset it, with the cancer being removed in "PlayStation" surgery in July 2024.

"The surgeon sits on the other side of the room with a PlayStation, basically, and you are lying there and everything is done with robots," Murray told Telegraph Sport.

Murray left the ICU within six days of surgery, but has been getting used to being fed via a tube.