2017 Mclaren 570 on 2040-cars

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Fernando Alonso fails to qualify as Pagenaud takes Indy pole

Former Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso narrowly failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday as France's Simon Pagenaud took pole position for the May 26 race. Kyle Kaiser beat out Alonso for the final spot in the 33-car field when he finished third, one spot ahead of the Spaniard, in a six-car shootout that determined the Indy 500's last row. The 23-year-old Kaiser, the last driver to take the track, averaged 227.372 mph for his four laps, a mere 0.019 mph ahead of Alonso's 227.353 mph average in the McLaren-prepared Chevrolet. "We never surrendered. We kept trying," Alonso, 37, told reporters after a tough week at the famed speedway. The Spaniard crashed his Chevrolet in practice on Wednesday and missed nearly two full days of practice while a back-up car was prepared. Then he tried five times on Saturday to qualify, puncturing a tire on the first attempt. Alonso had a completely new set up for Sunday's shootout but could not get the speed he needed to qualify. "I think the car felt better today than what we had yesterday. (So I am) happy with things we tried," he told reporters before learning he had not qualified. Pagenaud had a four-lap average speed of 229.992 mph to become the first Frenchman to take the pole since Rene Thomas in 1919. "It's just amazing," Pagenaud, who last week won the IndyCar Grand Prix on the track's road course, told NBC Sports. "Obviously last week was amazing, but this is even more special." He will be joined by Ed Carpenter (229.889) and Spencer Pigot (229.826) on the front row. But the Cinderella story belonged to Kaiser, the 33rd qualifier. "I don't think I can wrap my mind around what we just did," he said after bumping Alonso from the field. "This is all the credit to the team. They've been working non-stop trying to get this car ready for us and they did everything that we needed to get into this field." (Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)Related Video: Motorsports Chevrolet McLaren Racing Vehicles F1 IndyCar

McLaren preparing 650S extreme track-bound versions

McLaren isn't a company used to standing still. It has 182 grand prix victories under its belt, a dozen Formula One titles and some of the most lust-worthy supercars ever made. So we could hardly blame anyone (ourselves included) for impatiently anticipating what the team at Woking has coming next. Of course, McLaren itself is eager to keep its customers focused on the considerable offerings it already has on hand, but speaking to a few key McLaren personalities has given us some clues. The project known internally as P13 is focusing on a rival to the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8. P14 is still a mystery that no one at Woking is willing to talk about at this stage. And P15 is set to slot in between the 650S and P1 once the latter completes its 375-unit production run. But let's not get too caught up with upcoming products before we're done with the latest 650S. As our own Matt Davis will be bringing you shortly in our First Drive report, McLaren has been demonstrating the new 650S to journalists as a prodigious track weapon at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain. But before all is said and done, there will be even more track-focused versions of the 650S to follow. Speaking one-on-one with Autoblog, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt confirmed that the new 650S is destined for the racetrack, and in multiple guises at that. First up will be the 650S GT Sprint, which could very well get a different name before it hits the circuit. This track-bound version of the 650S will follow in the footsteps of the 12C GT Sprint, a circuit toy of which McLaren has sold about 25 examples to date. Developed by McLaren's GT racing department, the 12C GT Sprint features updated aerodynamics, suspension and safety equipment, along with a set of Pirelli racing slicks to better suit it for roadcourse use. We'd expect the 650S GT Sprint (or whatever it's ultimately called) to carry over most (if not all) of the same features, plus the upgrades which McLaren Automotive applied to the 12C to transform it into the 650S – including the revised front end and upgraded engine. Flewitt tells us to expect the new Sprint track car to launch later this year. McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt tells us to expect the 650S GT Sprint track car to launch later this year. It won't be until next season, however, that McLaren GT will hit the racing circuit with its new 650S GT3.

McLaren 650S Sprint is ready to hit the track running in Monterey

McLaren isn't exactly the most plebeian brand to begin with, so it makes sense for the company to take advantage of the lavish parties and wealthy folks descending on California for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In addition to the insane P1 GTR, McLaren is showing off the track-focused 650S Sprint here in Monterey. This new 650S it takes the place of the 12C Sprint in the brand's lineup, and should be the fastest 650S short of the GT3 racer. The thing is, the Sprint isn't technically a homologated racer, but it makes a great toy to show off at track days. For the Sprint, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 stays put, but McLaren optimizes the 650S' body for more downforce and better engine cooling. It also packs all sorts of track goodies like a competition fuel tank, larger radiator, racing-tuned suspension and 19-inch center-lock wheels. It also has all of the safety necessities for a day of doing laps like a roll cage, fire suppression and racing buckets. Of course, you might have known about all of that already, since the British brand revealed the Sprint just a few days ago, but you can check it live our gallery from Monterey.