2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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Race recap: 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix was everything good and bad about F1

Nothing was as it seemed heading into Bahrain. We were told team bosses had nixed the qualifying experiment that flunked every test by every measure in Australia, but that didn't happen. The FIA didn't give the teams the option of a wholesale return to the old format, the governing body only held a vote on whether to revert back to the old format in Q3 but stick with elimination gimmicks in Q1 and Q2. McLaren and Red Bull dissented, denying the chance for hybrid rounds. We're surprised none of the smaller teams voted against since elimination qualifying is hardest on them. Given the chance to fix the system again in Bahrain, Formula 1 failed again. The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone don't want to go back to the old system – because the race promoters don't want to go back to the old system – so all we know for sure is that there will be more meetings. We also thought Fernando Alonso would race in Bahrain after being given medical clearance, but a follow-up scan by the FIA showed fractured ribs and a damaged lung, ruling him out. And we thought Ferrari might have the pace to conquer Mercedes-AMG Petronas this year – and they might yet, but not on Saturday. That's why the Bahrain race began with another Mercedes one-two, Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg, Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen behind. The Australian outback is plagued with rabbits, which must have something to do with how Daniel Ricciardo keeps pulling them out of his helmet; the Aussie got his Red Bull up to a surprising fifth on the grid. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas in sixth and Felipe Massa in seventh would need to get him out of the way quickly to show what the car can do after an unsatisfying race in Australia. Nico Hulkenberg lined up in eighth for Sahara Force India. As proof the qualifying format failed again with its sophomore attempt, the last five minutes of Q2 were disappointing. Hulkenberg had the track completely to himself for his quali run, the only two cars on track after him were the Williams duo who weren't setting a time, but getting a set of soft tires ready to start the race on. As for Q1, the only reason for on-track action in the last three minutes was because Hamilton flubbed his first timed run. Romain Grosjean continued Haas F1's fruitful start to the season with ninth place, ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso closing out the top ten. At the end of a long red light to start the race, Rosberg claimed his right to victory before Turn 1.

McLaren 720S reaches series production, first car built

The first production example of the McLaren 720S has been finished at the supercar maker's Production Centre in Woking, England. A 400-car launch edition series follows Job 1, and all of these have been sold already, according to McLaren. In addition to these cars, a batch of 800 720S models are expected to be built in 2017, and next year will see 1,500 cars roll out of the factory gates. The 720S was formally launched at Geneva in March. It represents the second generation of McLaren's so-called Super Series cars, and the manufacturer has now moved to the P14 designation from the earlier P11 series of cars. The P11 platform was unveiled in 2009 as the wraps came off the 12C model, which reached production in 2011. More than 7,000 P11 cars have been sold, including the 650S models introduced in 2014. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "The new McLaren 720S entering volume production is a momentous occasion for McLaren Automotive, marking the first time since the company was formed in 2010 that we have replaced a model family with an all-new generation," says McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt. The 720S model name stands for the 720 horsepower put out by the supercar's four-liter V8 engine, and the manufacturer promises an impressive 2.8-second 0-60 mile per hour time and a 212-mph top speed. Launched from standstill, the car will reach 200 km/h (124mph) in just 7.8 seconds. The various ways a 720S can be configured can be seen in this Autoblog gallery. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

McLaren profits could quadruple on strength of P1

McLaren has had success on the track for the last 50 years, but its recent move into also building road cars full time is paying big dividends. The British automaker says that it expects revenue to double this year and pre-tax profit on deliveries to be four-times higher, thanks in no small part to selling out of its million-dollar P1. "It's the main year in which we deliver McLaren P1s. You can expect quite a strong impact on our turnover and profits," said McLaren Chief Financial Officer Paul Buddin to Bloomberg. The business announced in November 2013 that it had sold the entire 375-car production run of the P1 sooner than it had originally planned. Since launching the MP4-12C, McLaren has made it no secret that it wants to keep its product fresh by launching a new model each year. It initially followed the 12C coupe with the 12C Spider and P1, and this year, it has the 650S, while the 12C is reportedly being phased out. Next year's introduction is expected to be the Porsche-fighting P13. P14 and P15 models, plus a more powerful 650S, are rumored to be even farther down the track. In just a few years of building production cars, McLaren has shown that it can already construct a vehicle with world-class performance. Its next step is growing the company's sales further. It hopes to move around 4,500 units annually in the next two or three years. With over a hundred grand prix wins in its history, the team is showing it's got a good shot at translating racing victory into financial success. Featured Gallery 2015 McLaren P1: First Drive View 39 Photos News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Matt Davis / AOL Earnings/Financials McLaren Performance mclaren p1 mclaren 650s mclaren p13