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McLaren may be planning P15 to slot between MP4-12C and P1

McLaren hasn't tried to hide the fact that it is working on cheaper sports car codenamed the P13 that will directly take on the venerated Porsche 911, but now rumor has it that the automaker is also working on a second new model that would slot between the MP4-12C and P1 supercar, which is pictured above. While the car, codenamed P15, is still in the earliest stages of development, McLaren Chief Executive Officer Mike Flewitt teased the project to Autocar. Flewitt admitted that the P15 is still "quite a long way off." Like all of McLaren's current production cars, the P15 would use a tuned version of its 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 mounted in the middle of the company's MonoCell carbon fiber monocoque. Flewitt did not say whether the car would use hybrid power like the P1, stick with the 12C's turbos or otherwise. The exact specifications are still being decided. Pricing for the P15 will likely be around 400,000 pounds, or about $660,000 at current exchange rates. That price will position it nicely between the 12C's $229,000 base price and the P1 at $1,150,000. McLaren is reportedly hoping to sell as many as 2,500 P15 models a year when it goes on sale in 2015 or 2016. Featured Gallery McLaren P1 Hot Weather Testing View 10 Photos Related Gallery McLaren 12C GT Sprint News Source: AutocarImage Credit: McLaren Rumormill McLaren Coupe Performance mclaren p1 mclaren p13 mclaren 12c mclaren p15

McLaren furloughs staff, and its F1 drivers take a pay cut

LONDON — McLaren became the first Formula One team to furlough staff because of the coronavirus on Wednesday, with drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz joining senior management in taking a pay cut. The sportscar maker said in a statement the temporary three-month wage reduction was part of wider cost-cutting measures due to the impact of the pandemic on its business. "These measures are focused on protecting jobs in the short-term to ensure our employees return to full-time work as the economy recovers," McLaren added. A team spokesman emphasized that 100-150 staff from across the group who were working on a "VentilatorChallengeUK" project were not included in the measure. The group, including the luxury carmaker and applied technology arm, employs some 3,700 people with around 850 working for the F1 team. McLaren is part of a consortium of leading aerospace, engineering and Formula One racing companies who have joined forces to ramp up production of a ventilator made by Smiths Group which supports those with complications from the virus. Britain has ordered 10,000 of the breathing machines. The majority of the Formula One team, who are currently on a three-week factory shutdown brought forward from August due to the season being on hold, will be furloughed from next week with McLaren making up some of the difference. Those not furloughed, from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown downwards, will work on reduced pay. The team spokesman said British 20-year-old Norris and Spaniard Sainz were adamant they too wanted to play their part. With racing unlikely to start until the European summer at the earliest, F1 sources have said the teams — a majority based in Britain — are discussing extending the shutdown. Non-essential businesses are shuttered in Britain because of the virus and the authorities have asked everyone to stay at home. British finance minister Rishi Sunak announced last month that furloughed workers can claim 80% of their wages up to 2,500 pounds ($3,100) per month. Top Premier League clubs have made use of the scheme, drawing criticism from politicians and others questioning the ethics of seeking public money while paying millions to players. McLaren, whose Formula One team are the second most successful after Ferrari in terms of races and championships won, is majority owned by Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat.

F1 champ Fernando Alonso geared up for rookie run at Indy

NEW YORK - Twice Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso surprised himself with his qualifying success for Sunday's Indianapolis 500, but the Spaniard knows his biggest challenge will come on race day. Alonso, racing on an oval for the first time, averaged more than 230 miles per hour (370 kph) to qualify fifth fastest for a place in the second row in the 33-car field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I was a bit surprised," Alonso, 35, told Reuters on Tuesday. "When we announced to come here one month ago, we did it without knowing how competitive we could be, if I was able to adapt to oval racing, to these cars." "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." A lack of experience may cost him on the biggest day of US racing when a champion will be crowned after 200 laps of the massive 2.5-mile oval, but Alonso is geared up for the chance. "You respect the place, respect the speed. You respect your colleagues out there, but at the end of the day, when you are in your car and close the visor, you would like to have one mile per hour more. It's never enough," he said. While Alonso passed the entrance exam with flying colors in qualifying, he knows the hardest test is to come. "The biggest challenge I will face is in the race when you are running in traffic, those groups of cars that form in the race. It changes completely the behavior of the car. "You feel the car very loose... we've been practicing that with the team, trying to create our own groups because we are six cars," Alonso said. "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." GUESSING GAMES Alonso said timing his moves may be a guessing game. "Taking the opportunity to overtake and to pass will be a difficult decision to make," he said. "There are many factors you need to address while you are driving 230 miles per hour. "You have to stay calm, be ready for the last one-third of the race. That is where it comes." Alonso said the race demands a balance between pushing the limit and not crossing the line into recklessness. "With no experience, for me you're not sure sometimes where you are with that line - if you are over the limits of the car, or over the limits of running with the traffic.