2023 Mclaren Artura on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Seat bringing boatload of hot hatches to Lake Worthersee

GTI Treffen may have started out as a gathering for owners of Volkswagen pocket rockets, but by now it's blown into a full-on celebration of everything related to hot hatches and more. And though it remains a grassroots event by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, Volkswagen is wise not to ignore it. These days, it comes to the annual lakeside gathering in Austria with a handful of show cars in tow, and brings its sister-brands along for the ride, too.
Audi has already announced the Q3 Red Track concept destined for Wörthersee, and Skoda is coming with a pair of Citigo concepts - one made up as a DJ booth and the other as a rally car. Now their Spanish cousins at Seat have revealed the veritable motorcade of show cars it's bringing to the meet-up.
Seat will be showcasing the Ibiza Cupra Concept it unveiled in Beijing, but that's not all. It'll also display a customized Ibiza FR and Leon Cupra R, a Mii city car (that's the Spanish version of the Volkswagen Up!) imagined in sporty FR trim and, most enticing of all, a pair of racing models that are ready to hit the track.

Race recap: 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix was the pits

The Hungarian Grand Prix hasn't seen a race this calculated since 2012, when Lewis Hamilton – driving for McLaren – led from pole position to the checkered flag. We don't expect massive action from the Hungaroring, but Hamilton's first win for Mercedes in 2013, the thrilling wet mess in 2014, and Ferrari's surprising dominance in 2015 made us hope for more on-track commotion this year. Hungary denied us that. Hamilton parked his Mercedes-AMG Petronas in second on the grid but stole the lead through Turn 1 and never looked back. Teammate Nico Rosberg yo-yoed behind him in second place, getting into DRS range on a few occasions but never close enough to pass. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo kept the leading duo honest, but the Aussie couldn't put genuine fear into the German team and finished third. This is the third year in a row for Ricciardo on the Hungary podium. The pits provided our few scraps of excitement. During a stretch when Ricciardo managed to close on Rosberg, Mercedes told Hamilton to speed up. When Hamilton said he couldn't go faster, Mercedes said they'd pit second-place Rosberg first instead. Suddenly, Hamilton found the extra pace. Ricciardo pitted in early, hoping that fresh tires and fast laps could allow him to pass one or both Mercedes drivers when they pitted, but once Hamilton hit the throttle the Red Bull couldn't respond. Further down the lineup, Jenson Button came in on Lap 5 so McLaren could fix his brake pedal problem. The radio exchange before the stop included one forbidden instruction to Button, though, so the Englishman had to return to the pits for a drive-through penalty. Renault's Jolyon Palmer beat Force India's Nico Hulkenberg in a straight-up pit stop battle on Lap 40, but threw the good work away on Lap 49 with a spin on track that cost him three places. A pit wall miscommunication meant the Force India pit crew wasn't ready for Sergio Perez when the Mexican arrived for his second stop on Lap 43. And Daniel Kvyat's regrettable run at Toro Rosso continued, first with car issues, then a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Sebastian Vettel brought his Ferrari home fourth, sniffing Ricciardo's gearbox at the flag but unable to get around the Red Bull. Max Verstappen enacted a replay of the final stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing fifth by holding Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen behind for 19 laps.

McLaren pencils in electrified P1 successor for 2024 release

The limited-edition P1's long-awaited successor will be the next model added to McLaren's Ultimate Series. The company confirmed development work has started, but it won't release the yet-unnamed car until 2024. Picking up where the P1 (pictured) left off is a Herculean task; the hybrid hypercar built from 2013 to 2015 is one of the models that defined electrified performance in the 2010s. Its successor can't be merely an evolution of it with a re-shaped lower bumper and a 15-horsepower bump. It needs to take a leap forward in terms of design, technology, and performance. McLaren hasn't revealed what the car will be powered by, but its chief executive stated electrification is a must. "We haven't announced the powertrain. Obviously, looking forward, it will be either hybridized or an EV," company boss Mike Flewitt told British magazine Autocar. The carmaker previously affirmed it's not in a rush to release an electric car, and Flewitt highlighted the many hurdles still standing in the way of the technology.  "Take the 765LT as an example. We know a lot of customers are going to take that to the track. If it were an EV, you would be looking at maybe 30 minutes of running time, and then plugging it in until the next day. That's not a persuasive position," he explained. Electric technology is advancing at a rapid pace, so engineers could solve these problems in the coming years, but most signs point to the P1's successor offering hybrid power. Looks will be very much a part of the car's appeal, and it's expected to move McLaren's design language forward. It's reasonable to assume active aerodynamic add-ons and an adjustable suspension will be part of the package, too. More details about the car (which will arrive as a limited-edition model) will emerge in the coming months. The four-year time frame gives McLaren plenty of time to fine-tune the coupe, which it refers to internally as the son of P1. In the meantime, it's focusing on ramping up production of the Elva, a windshield-less Ultimate Series model originally limited to 399 units. The firm lowered that figure to 249 after analyzing feedback from its clients. Related Video: