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Is Fernando Alonso preparing to sit out 2016?

Things have not been going well for Fernando Alonso since moving to McLaren. In fact they've been going so poorly that the Spanish driver may end up sitting out next season if things don't improve. At least those are the rumors presently occupying the Formula One paddock. The notion was first raised by McLaren chief Ron Dennis. When asked by reporters about Alonso's near-term future with the team, Dennis said, "I have an open mind to anything, and some of the ideas have involved those sorts of considerations, yes, sabbatical years etcetera." Though far from confirmed, the basic idea would be to see how next year's car performs in pre-season testing, and if it's not up to spec, Alonso could end up sitting out a season while McLaren and Honda get their partnership up to speed, so to speak. Alonso appeared to be puzzled by the prospect his boss raised, but couldn't rule it out, either. It would be a rather unprecedented move, but could end up avoiding some frustrations as the Anglo-Japanese teething process works itself out with time. Alonso has been a constant on the grid since 2003, missing only two grands prix in thirteen seasons: the 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis when all the Michelin-equipped teams sat out the race in protest, and the Australian Grand Prix at the beginning of this year, when Alonso was still recovering from a crash in pre-season testing. Out of 254 grands prix contested to date, Fernando has landed on the podium 97 times, including 32 wins and two world championships. This season, however, he's only finished in the points once, with his fifth-place finish in Hungary. Of the eighteen races he contested this year, his car failed to get him to the finish line altogether at seven. His seventeenth place in the final standings for the season are the worst he's done since his debut in 2001 with Minardi (the team now known as Toro Rosso). News Source: Autosport (1), (2), (3)Image Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports Honda McLaren F1 mclaren-honda

McLaren P1 throwing down the gauntlet with 6:30 Nurburgring lap time?

The magic mark at the Nurburgring once stood in the sevens. Anything that could lap the vaunted Nordschleife in less than eight minutes was considered biblically fast. But with all manner of vehicles clocking lap times that start with a seven, the goal post has moved below the seven-minute mark and into the sixes. Discounting barely-legal track cars from Radical, whose LMP-style pseudo-racers top the time charts, the Porsche 918 Spyder holds the record as the fastest street-legal production car ever to lap the Ring at 6:57. A blindingly fast lap time, to be sure, but the 918 isn't the only new hybrid hypercar in its class. According to official factory statements, the McLaren P1 has lapped the winding German circuit in under seven minutes. And rumor has it that its actual lap time, though not confirmed, was clocked at 6:47. That would already make it considerably faster than the Porsche, but that's not the end of the story. According to an unnamed inside source cited by Autocar, the P1 has actually lapped the Nurburgring in "six minutes 30 something." That would make it nearly half a minute faster than the Porsche, and a good ten seconds quicker even than the Radical SR8 LM. For its part, McLaren has yet to confirm the time, but we're sure it will in due course. For that matter, though Maranello has tested the new LaFerrari to the track, it has yet to announce any official time. But with the gauntlet thrown down, we wouldn't be surprised to see a scarlet-clad test team heading north to Germany in the near future. The last time they did, they clocked a 6:58 lap time with the 599XX, but while production-based, that car was never meant to drive on public streets. Featured Gallery McLaren P1 N?rburgring Run View 11 Photos News Source: Autocar McLaren Coupe Performance mclaren p1

McLaren reveals 675LT concept with JVCKenwood tech at CES

McLaren and Japanese electronics giant JVCKenwood are drawing on a quarter-century of collaboration with this technological concept at CES this year. It's based on the limited-edition 675LT, but packs more advanced tech. For starters, it has a head-up display that projects vital information right into the driver's line of sight – including the presence of other vehicles in its vicinity through the on-board Advanced Driver Assistance System. To go with it, McLaren replaced the steering wheel with that of the P1 GTR, and fitted controls for the HUD where the IPAS boost and DRS adaptive rear wing buttons would be. While they were at it, McLaren and JVCKenwood also pulled out all the mirrors and replaced them with digital cameras. There's one on each door to streamline the side mirrors, and another digital rear view mirror inside feeding from a third camera below the Airbrake rear wing. If only such systems were certified for use on the road. The one-off concept also features a unique treatment inside and out. It's done up in Onyx Black with silver racing stripes outside. And the interior features a mix of leather and technical fabrics. With the air conditioning system deleted, vital controls moved to the steering wheel, and gauges integrated into the HUD, McLaren also removed the center console and instrument binnacle altogether, giving the cockpit a more airy feel. The finished product looks pretty cool, but even without all the cool tech, the 675LT is all sold out in both coupe and Spyder forms. McLAREN 675LT JVCKENWOOD CONCEPT DEBUTS AT CES Woking, UK (January 6, 2016) – McLaren Automotive and JVCKENWOOD unveiled today an innovative design study, the McLaren 675LT JVCKENWOOD Concept, created for the CES® 2016 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Concept is based on the new McLaren 675LT Coupe and features a host of new technologies and celebrates the 25th anniversary of their Formula 1™ partnership. McLAREN 675LT DESIGN CONCEPT For its collaboration with JVCKENWOOD, McLaren began with a 675LT Coupe prototype vehicle. The 675LT Coupe, which recently went into production at the start-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre in Woking, England, is the most driver-focused, lightweight and aerodynamically optimized model in the McLaren Super Series family. Strictly limited to 500 units, all sold out within a matter of months.