2017 Mclaren 570 Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

McLaren wants to revolutionize engine efficiency with an all-star partnership

McLaren Automotive is reporting strong growth, as its sales volume almost doubled during the previous year; from 1,654 sold cars in 2015 to 3,286 cars in 2016. To keep that upward trajectory a reality, the company is aiming to overhaul its powertrain technology with help from BMW Group along with other strategic partners. In a statement of intent published today, McLaren is announcing a project to develop "new combustion technology that will produce a higher output per capacity than currently possible", while still achieving reduced CO2 output. A McLaren spokesperson told Autoblog that reduced emissions is also a goal of the combustion improvements. We expect to see the results of this effort sometime around 2020. The McLaren-led project is backed and partially funded by the UK Government, through the Advanced Propulsion Centre. The APC is a think tank formed in 2013, itself standing as a 10-year joint effort between the UK Government and the automotive industry. There are five other partners in addition to McLaren, including McLaren's engine-manufacturing partner Ricardo. BMW Group and casting experts Grainger & Worrall, which also produce parts for Aston Martin DB11 engines, are also in the list. Then there is Lentus Composites with their material know-how, and the University of Bath, who will be utilized for their advanced R&D capabilities. The project is sure to boost the existing credibility of the middle of England as an advanced automotive technology powerhouse, and it will be interesting to see which kind of power figures the end products will churn out – and in what kind of bodies the high-tech engines will be mounted. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive McLaren Technology Emerging Technologies Supercars

F1's Daniel Ricciardo a Monaco spoiler? 'I run those streets'

MONACO - Daniel Ricciardo jokes that he has a new strategy for Monaco this year - no pitstops, just keep going all the way to the checkered flag. The rules do not allow him to do that, of course, but the comment underlines the lingering pain of last year when the Australian seized pole position but was robbed of victory by a pitstop bungle. "It sucks. It hurts," said the Red Bull driver, who finished second to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, at the time. "I got to the pits and everyone's running around like headless chooks (chickens)." The pole position was the only one that escaped champions Mercedes last year, and Ricciardo took some solace when he then won in Malaysia after Hamilton suffered engine failure. Title rivals Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, separated by just six points and with two wins apiece, will be the favorites in Sunday's showcase race around the metal-fenced streets. But Ricciardo reckons he can again muscle in on the action, even if his car's Renault engine is down on power. "Regardless of where the car is at come Monaco, I'm certainly confident going there," he said at the previous Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished third. "I certainly feel like I run those streets ... I already get excited thinking about Monaco, I love that place. It's cool," he added. "The memories of last year are still more sweet than bitter so I'm just excited to get another chance this year." MILESTONES IN MIND Both Hamilton and Vettel have their own milestones in mind on what promises to be a sunny week in the Mediterranean principality for the two multiple title winners. Vettel, the championship leader, is aiming to become the first Ferrari driver to win in Monaco since Michael Schumacher in 2001 -- almost ancient history as far as Formula One is concerned. Hamilton meanwhile can equal his late, great idol Ayrton Senna's career tally of 65 pole positions on the 30th anniversary of the Brazilian's first Monaco win. Mercedes are going for their fifth successive Monaco win, with Hamilton triumphant last year after three victories in succession for now-retired champion Nico Rosberg. The title duel, in the sixth and slowest round of the championship, will also be about absent friends and returning heroes. Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion who called it a day last year, will be filling in for Spaniard Fernando Alonso at McLaren while the double champion takes on the Indianapolis 500 on the same weekend.

Fernando Alonso gets quickly up to speed at the Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS - Fernando Alonso was quickly up to speed at the famed Brickyard on Wednesday, blazing through his IndyCar rookie orientation to close in on earning a spot on the Indianapolis 500 starting grid. Alonso, who has competed in 276 Formula One races and is a double world champion, is an IndyCar debutant and arrived at in Indianapolis needing to pass a rookie test which he did with flying colours by recording a top speed of 222.548 mph (358.156 kph). It was an impressive debut by the 35-year-old Spaniard considering that Canada's James Hinchcliffe claimed pole position for last year's race with a four-lap average speed of 230.760 mph. "It felt new to me, it felt a little bit strange driving anti-clockwise at those speeds," Alonso told reporters. "What I felt in the car was more-or-less what I expected. What is different now is my excitement of the race itself." Alonso set the motor racing world buzzing when he announced last month that he had been granted clearance by his McLaren F1 team to skip the Monaco Grand Prix and race in the Indy 500 on May 28 in pursuit of the sport's famed Triple Crown - a Formula One title and Indy 500 and Le Mans wins. McLaren will enter the 101st edition of the Indy with a Honda-engined Indy car run by Andretti Autosport, owned by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti, in the old papaya orange livery of the 1970s. Alonso looked right at home at the Brickyard as he slipped into the number 29 car and was quickly turning laps of more than 200 mph around the 2.5 mile oval. The rookie orientation program was the first on-track step for Alonso towards securing a place in the 33 car field. All first-year competitors in the Indianapolis 500 must complete a gradual introduction to the speeds and unique nature of the sprawling track. During the private test Alonso ran 110 laps but it will be a much different situation on May 28 when he will have to contend with a 33-car field. "Today was just running alone learning the circuit and all the things that are involved with this technique," said Alonso, who had a run-in with two birds near the end of his session. "I am not driving the car, the car is driving myself around at the moment." The Spaniard, who is having a difficult F1 season with uncompetitive McLaren, has set his sights on joining Briton Graham Hill as the only drivers to achieve the Triple Crown.