2017 Mclaren 570 Coupe on 2040-cars

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Fernando Alonso home from hospital, will miss next test

Following his big crash at Catalunya on Sunday, we're glad to report that Fernando Alonso is apparently on the road to recovery. According to the latest update from McLaren, the Spanish driver is heading home "for further rest and recuperation." It won't be straight back to business for the two-time world champion, though. The team has also announced that its star driver won't be participating in the next test session, set to kick off tomorrow at the same track where Fernando crashed. Instead his wingman and fellow champ Jenson Button will proceed without him, joined instead by test/reserve driver Kevin Magnussen. The young Danish driver was promoted straight to the race seat for last season in similar style to Lewis Hamilton, who had similarly leapfrogged the usual order of things: instead of starting as a test driver or driving for a lower team, both Hamilton and Magnussen were put directly in the hot seat at McLaren. After winning the pivotal Formula Renault 3.5 series the previous season, Magnussen showed early promise when he scored a second-place finish on his race debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, but proved unable to repeat the success and was relegated to test driver at the end of the season to make room for Alonso. News Source: McLaren Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren F1 kevin magnussen

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 ponders Acura NSX-style hybrid all-wheel-drive system

As cars get faster, there will come a point where horsepower will exceed the grip level of even the stickiest tires. There are all sorts of ways to manage traction, from trick differentials to traction control to torque vectoring, but the most tried and true way is adding all-wheel drive. While this isn't ideal for a number of reasons, sending power to all four wheels generally improves performance. That's why McLaren is investigating all-wheel drive systems for future products. Car and Driver spoke with McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. He confirms the automaker is looking at adding AWD on future products, though if and when that happens could be a long way off. He argues that with horsepower and torque levels creeping ever higher, we're getting close to the limits of what a tire can handle. Unlike traditional mechanical all-wheel drive systems like those found on the Nissan GT-R, Audi R8, and Porsche 911 Turbo, look for electric motors to drive the front wheels, similar to the Acura NSX. Not only would a hybrid system help packaging, electric motors give McLaren much more control over what's happening at each individual wheel. McLaren told Autoblog that the automaker's plan through 2022 involves mid-engine two-seat sports cars, so don't look for an all-wheel drive SUV to come out of Woking anytime soon. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2017 McLaren 720S First Drive View 115 Photos News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: Mike Dodd (Beadyeye) for McLaren McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars