2016 Mclaren 570 on 2040-cars

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2016 Italian Grand Prix race recap

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is called the Temple of Power. Furthermore, the winning driver in Italy started on pole in 13 of the last 16 years, and only one driver in that time has won the Italian GP from behind the front row of the grid: Rubens Barrichello in 2002 and 2009. By this point in the current Formula 1 season (era?) we know what it means when a track emphasizes both power and pole position: Mercedes-AMG Petronas. The Silver Arrows locked out the front row with Lewis Hamilton on pole. A poor start prevented the Briton from capitalizing on the advantage, so teammate Nico Rosberg and four other drivers swept by him before the end of the second turn. Mercedes would later say a clutch issue caused Hamilton's botched start, but that didn't help the man who'd just fallen to sixth place. Rosberg got about two laps of television coverage on his way to an unbothered victory ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari made Hamilton's second-place finish easier by sticking to a two-stop strategy; both Mercedes drivers pitted once. We aren't sure why Ferrari didn't at least attempt a one-stopper once Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen had been gifted second and third on track. A pit stop took about 23 seconds from entry to exit and Vettel finished third, six seconds behind Hamilton. Raikkonen finished fourth, another seven seconds behind Vettel. Perhaps the Scuderia's tire usage wouldn't allow longer stints, but we'll never know. Daniel Ricciardo wielded his Red Bull like a scalpel to make an impeccable pass on Valtteri Bottas in the Williams and take fifth place. Ricciardo, trailing another Italian province behind, somehow closed the gap on Bottas in just the braking zone of Turn 1, pulling alongside near the apex without locking a wheel on entry nor running wide on exit. Bottas claimed sixth ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez in the Force India, Felipe Massa in the second Williams, and Nico Hulkenberg in the second Force India sealing the top ten. Monza did spring a few on-track surprises. Esteban Gutierrez drove Haas F1 into Q3 for the first time this season, the Mexican setting the sixth-best time in Q2. Manor Racing planned for Monza all season, Pascal Wehrlein repaying the effort by qualifying 13th. Fernando Alonso pitted his McLaren on Lap 50 of the 53-lap race for a set of super soft Pirellis, then set the fastest lap. It's Honda's first fastest lap since 1992. The biggest moments happened off the track.

McLaren reveals new P1 GTR ready for gentleman racers

There are race cars and there are road cars. McLaren is known for making both, but lately there's been a new class of vehicles emerging in between. They're supercars developed specifically for the track but for no specific racing series, and the new McLaren P1 GTR is the latest. Previewed in concept form in Monterey this past summer, the P1 GTR is now ready to hit the track. It's based, of course, on the P1 – Woking's million-dollar flagship hybrid hypercar – but incorporates a long list of upgrades to make it better suited towards ripping around a closed circuit than an open road. For starters, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain has been optimized for track use and retuned: the internal combustion engine cranking out 789 horsepower (up from 727) and the electric motor another 197 (up from 176) for a combined output of 986 hp. The other side of the power-to-weight ratio has also been optimized, with unnecessary elements removed and many parts replaced by lighter ones: The glass roof and engine cover, for example, have been replaced by carbon fiber, and the side windows by plexiglass. There's also a new Inconel and titanium alloy exhaust that saves 14 pounds all by itself. The result of these and other measures is a drop in curb weight by a solid 110 lbs. Of course the performance-obsessed engineers in Woking didn't stop there. They also dropped the suspension by two inches and widened the track by over three, riding on 19-inch alloys with Pirelli slicks. The aero has also been revised, with a splitter jutting out the chin and a fixed wing rising a foot and a half taller than the roof, helping the P1 GTR produce 10 percent more downforce than the road car on which it's based. Hit 150 mph on the straightaway and you'd be generating 1,455 lbs of downforce, assuming you haven't activated the Drag Reduction System flap in the rear wing by then. Although it hasn't disclosed the details, and as good as the road-car's stoppers are, McLaren has hopefully upgraded the brakes as well. Like arch-rival Ferrari's XX client development program (and the path that Aston Martin is tipped to take with the upcoming new Vulcan), the P1 GTR will be part of an organized program. Participating owners will start at the McLaren Technology Centre to have their seats fitted, livery designed and fitness assessed before hitting the first track sessions at Silverstone in the UK and Catalunya in Spain.

McLaren P1 GTR Design Concept previews super exotic track stormer

McLaren says the P1 GTR has one goal: "to be the best driver's car in the world on track." And with no intentions of making the thing road-legal, McLaren was able to freely put together this design concept, showing a car that, to our eyes, looks absolutely capable of delivering the best in track-focused dynamics. Under the hood, the P1's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 has been enhanced to deliver 986 horsepower, an increase of 83 hp versus the engine's already ludicrous tune in the standard car. McLaren paid extra close attention to improving aerodynamics, with the sole intent of allowing the GTR to offer "more extreme performance," according to the company's press release. The front track is wider, with a larger, GT-style splitter. Cooling for the engine and brakes has been improved. The ride height has been lowered. The car's mirrors are now repositioned on the A-pillar to reduce drag and allow for better visibility. What's more, the racer rides on a unique set of 19-inch lightweight motorsport alloy wheels, and tire changes are easier managed thanks to an onboard air jacking system derived from the setup used on the 650S GT3 racecar. Active aerodynamics are found out back, too, with a fixed-height wing that uses a hydraulically operated drag reduction system, working in tandem with the active aero flaps placed ahead of the front wheels. Alongside the P1 GTR launch, McLaren offered up a few details about its new driver program, an exclusive ownership experience that includes specialized driver training, access to a racing simulator and more, all of which is "designed to prepare each driver mentally and physically to fully exploit the abilities of the McLaren P1 GTR." It sounds pretty intense, with each experience being individually tailored for each specific driver. Read more details about the driver program, as well as the P1 GTR in the press release below, and have a look at the gallery above to see live photos of the car direct from its debut here in Monterey.