2016 650s on 2040-cars

Auto blog

McLaren confirms 570S coupe for New York debut

As far as building blocks go, McLaren sure manages to make a lot out of what it's got. Take a carbon monocoque, a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and you've got the starting point for the MP4-12C, the 650S and the P1 (to say nothing of its various racing models and such). In Geneva it expanded its range even further with the addition of the 675LT and P1 GTR, but it's about to open a whole new chapter next week in New York with the debut of the new Sports Series. The long-anticipated sports car range from Woking will breed a wide range of variants, and McLaren has now confirmed the name and some preliminary details of what we can expect from the first iteration. Called the 570S, the coupe will pack a 562-horsepower version of that turbo eight into its carbon structure with room for two in a "beautiful, aerodynamically optimized form." McLaren also promises "class-leading levels of performance coupled with optimized handling characteristics and driving dynamics." Sounds promising to us, but we'll have to wait another week or so before the Brits are ready to lift the veil entirely. In the meantime you can ogle the latest teaser image above and the brief statement before for a taste of what's to come. Related Video: McLAREN LAUNCHES ITS SPORTS SERIES RANGE IN NEW YORK WITH THE 570S COUPE NEW YORK (March 25, 2015) – McLaren Automotive announces today that the first model in its Sports Series family will be named the 570S Coupe. This V8 powered, carbon fiber-structured two seater will show its beautiful, aerodynamically optimized form for the first time when it debuts at the 115th New York International Auto Show. With the launch of the 570S Coupe, McLaren will display its entire three-tier model line-up for the first time globally. Every Sports Series model will share its DNA with the Super Series and Ultimate Series that sit above it in the McLaren hierarchy. A pure McLaren, offering class-leading levels of performance coupled with optimized handling characteristics and driving dynamics, the 570S Coupe marks the first time McLaren has offered its original and race-derived technologies in the sports car segment. In line with the naming convention that began with the 650S, the number 570 gives away the power output of this first McLaren Sports Series model: 570PS (562HP).

2016 German Grand Prix race recap: so-so racing, great questions

We can summarize the 2016 German Grand Prix in one sentence: Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton started second on the grid, passed pole-sitter and teammate Nico Rosberg before the first corner, and dominate to the finish. In fact, Hamilton turned his engine power output down on Lap 3 and still took the checkered flag seven seconds ahead of Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo's teammate Max Verstappen crossed the line another six seconds back. Rosberg fell to fourth at the first corner and couldn't find the pace to reel in the Red Bulls. His questionable pass on Verstappen didn't help when the stewards penalized Rosberg five seconds; the overtake reminded us of Rosberg's move on teammate Hamilton in Austria. That penalty turned into eight seconds when the Mercedes-AMG Petronas stopwatch didn't work in the pits. Ferrari pilots Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished fifth and sixth. Those six drivers all started in the top six, too. Behind them, on Lap 28 of the 67-lap race the next four drivers were Valtteri Bottas in the Williams, Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India, and Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in McLarens. Low fuel and old tires put the kibosh on Alonso's pace just four laps from the finish, allowing Force India's Sergio Perez to pass, rounding out the top ten. The issues up for debate during the four-week break are far more interesting than the weekend's race. As bad as Ferrari's day might have been – and we'll get to that – Rosberg probably took the biggest hit, losing the race before the first corner for the second weekend in a row and falling 19 points behind Hamilton. Rosberg won the first four races of the season, then the teammates tripped over one another in Spain. Hamilton's won six of the seven races since Spain, Rosberg's best result in that time is a second-place in Hungary. Hamilton turned his engine down on Lap 3 (!) because he's used his entire season's allotment of five turbochargers and five MGU-Ks. Those early-season gremlins now have him on edge of grid penalties. Unless Hamilton's momentum cools off in August, however, that reliability danger might be the only dent in his armor. Rosberg, who once led the Championship by 43 points, will surely drown in his thoughts – and maybe schnapps – over the summer break. Whatever the Italian word for "meditation" is, there'll be a lot of it at Ferrari during the F1 summer break.

Jenson Button expected to announce F1 retirement

One of the biggest question marks looming over the Formula One paddock has been over what will become of Jenson Button. The former world champion has struggled to perform of late, and as one of the oldest drivers on the grid, is nearing the end of his career. And according to the Daily Telegraph, he's about to announce his retirement. Button has been on the grid every season since his debut with Williams in 2000. But as his current team McLaren has fallen off pace, so has Button – particularly as both struggle to work out the kinks in the new Honda engine package. And unlike Benjamin Button, he's not getting any younger. With the benefit of his own considerable experience, Button won out over his previous teammate Kevin Magnussen to keep his race seat after Fernando Alonso arrived in Woking. But while he's enjoyed Honda's support, team principal Ron Dennis has reportedly turned sour on Button's staying with the team, preferring to promote a younger driver in Button's place. Rather than leave it up to the team to decide, however – or seeking a drive with another team – word has it that Jenson is preparing to go out on his own terms, and is set to announce his retirement at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Button's departure would leave two questions open: For one, what will he do next? And for another, who will McLaren hire to fill his racing shoes? For Jenson's part, he could end up combining a drive at Le Mans with a television career. He's been linked to talks with Porsche, where other experienced F1 drivers like Mark Webber and Nico Hulkenberg have found success. But sources also point towards a potential Rallycross drive, and we wouldn't be terribly surprised to see him compete in GT racing for McLaren or the Super GT series for Honda. Affable and skilled in working behind the camera, Button has also been linked with potentially joining Chris Evans on the new cast of a rebooted Top Gear. As for McLaren, it has two emerging talents in reserve. One is the aforementioned Danish driver Kevin Magnussen, who raced for the team last season but was told to wait in the wings. After winning the pivotal Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2013, Magnussen impressed with a second-place finish on his F1 race debut in Australia last year. He could, however, accept a race seat with another team for next season rather than wait (as Button had to) for McLaren to make its decision.