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UPDATE: Formula 1 Halo protector surely saved a life at Belgian Grand Prix

The hotly-debated F1 halo cockpit protection structure got much attention over the weekend, as the one mounted on Charles Leclerc's Sauber appears to have successfully deflected Fernando Alonso's McLaren from hitting Leclerc on a first-lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix. The scrapes on the Sauber's halo work well to convert former disbelievers into supporting the structure. There is a real chance Leclerc could have been seriously hurt or killed in the crash, but as it happened, the incident only meant the end of the race for Leclerc, not a season, career or life. The image tweeted by the official F1 account speaks volumes: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Later, F1 tweeted this pretty wild 360-degree video from Leclerc's car: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. And as "Top Gear" presenter Chris Harris tweeted: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Back when the season began, the Mercedes-Benz F1 team announced that the halo on the Mercedes car is strong enough to bear the weight of a double-decker London bus. As well as flying debris, detached wheels — and entire flying Formula 1 cars.   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2018 Belgian Grand Prix: Race Highlights Related Video:

McLaren P1 LM is the world's most extreme, exclusive supercar

As fast as it is, and as deep as its manufacturer's roots may run in motor racing, the McLaren P1 was designed from the get-go as a road-going supercar. The subsequent P1 GTR adapted it for use exclusively on the track, but now Lanzante has put it back on the road in the form of the new P1 LM. For those unfamiliar, Lanzante is the outfit that campaigned the original McLaren F1 GTR to such great success at Le Mans back in 1995. Following the 28 examples of the F1 GTR, McLaren built another six examples of the F1 LM, kept one and sold the other five – each based on the GTR's specs but modified for road use. Now Lanzante has unearthed that playbook again with the release of the new McLaren P1 LM. Among the steps Lanzante took in transforming the P1 GTR to road spec involved retuning the hybrid powertrain to keep the output at 986 horsepower while running on 99-octane pump gas and at higher temperatures. The automaker saved a good 130 pounds compared to the GTR by ditching the onboard air-jacking system, fitting polycarbonate windows, refabricating the exhaust and cat pipes out of lightweight Inconel and the bolts out of titanium. It even insulated the engine bay in gold leaf – just like the original F1. Lanzante also fitted an exposed carbon-fiber roof, new rolling stock and steering wheel (replete with switchgear like a modern grand prix racer's). It trimmed the interior in Alcantara, and mounted a bigger front splitter and rear wing to increase downforce by 40 percent. The result ought to make for one frighteningly extreme ride, likely to be capable of embarrassing just about anything else on the road or track. We'll try not to be too tempted, though, as Lanzante – mirroring the original – will only make six examples and sell five: one in dark gray (like the prototype pictured) and another four in orange. Given the extensive modifications and the $2 million or so McLaren charged for the P1 GTR in the first place, we don't even want to know how much it would cost to put one in our driveway. We'll be watching, though, to see it run up the hill at Goodwood tomorrow at the hands of McLaren factory driver (and former Indy 500 winner) Kenny Brack, who'll also set up each of the customer examples at the Nurburgring. Related Video: THE McLAREN P1 LM Background Lanzante Ltd. first became globally synonymous with the McLaren name when it ran the semi-works McLaren F1 GTR that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.

2019 McLaren 720S GT3 race car is barely a 720S anymore

For a company with as much racing history as McLaren, it's no surprise that it is introducing a new race car based on the 720S. What is interesting is that there's very little in common between the 2019 McLaren 720S GT3 race car and the regular 720S. The company says that over 90 percent of the super coupe have been changed for the racer. Among the changes are a body that is completely reshaped compared with the road car. This includes the massively enlarged front grille, wider fenders and aggressive aerodynamic parts. The engine is based on the road car's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and retains the same displacement, but it has been rebuilt for race duty. Power numbers aren't available. The engine is also mated to a six-speed sequential transmission, rather than the seven-speed dual-clutch unit in the road car. Other race-ready upgrades include several adjustable parts including the limited-slip differential, shocks, traction control and ABS. Those come standard, but there are some options such as a rear-view camera, parking sensors and tire pressure monitoring. Though power hasn't been announced, pricing has. For teams not directly backed by McLaren, the price for a 720S GT3 is $564,000. That's roughly twice the cost of the road-going 720S, which starts at a bit over $280,000. Deliveries will begin next year in time for a number of GT3-class racing series. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.