2021 Mclaren Elva Elva Number 149 Or 149 Last One Produced Fully Exposed Carbon on 2040-cars

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McLaren and Red Bull refused to accept elimination qualifying compromise

Formula 1's failure to change its under-fire elimination qualifying format was sealed when McLaren and Red Bull refused to accept anything other than ditching the shoot-out idea completely, Motorsport.com has learned. In another dramatic twist to the saga surrounding F1's qualifying system, sources have confirmed that the two outfits were unwilling to play ball with an alternative solution that had been put on the table by the FIA this week. And without their support - and the need for unanimous backing for any change to go through - the idea to tweak elimination qualifying was left dead in the water, with no time left to do anything other than keep the system that proved so unpopular in Australia. FIA plan After the shambolic end to Q3 in Australia, teams had unanimously agreed in Melbourne to ditch elimination qualifying and go back to last year's system for the next race in Bahrain. However, a decision was made by the FIA to not go that far and abandon the positive aspects of the change. Instead it wanted to give the shoot-out system another try, albeit in an improved format. This week therefore, teams on the Strategy Group and F1 Commission found themselves only able to vote on a revised format to elimination qualifying proposed by the FIA, where the new-style Q1 and Q2 would be extended, and Q3 would revert to how it was last year. One theory as to why teams were only given this option to vote on was that it would effectively force their hands to accept it, as they would be highly unlikely to reject it and keep the Australian system that was so universally criticised. However, if that was a motivation for not giving teams the option of going back to last year's system, then it failed entirely because McLaren and Red Bull refused to support it and did not vote in favour. Without their support, the vote did not go through, meaning that F1 is heading to Bahrain with the same under-fire elimination qualifying format that was run in Australia – and little prospect of it delivering a better show in Q3 this time. F1 criticism In a week when the GPDA spoke out about F1's 'obsolete' rules structure, and the sport making a bold move away from free-to-air TV in Britain, the inability of F1 to get rid of a hated qualifying format has left it facing further criticism.

McLaren launches Sports Series configurator for 570S

With the launch of its new Sports Series, McLaren is reaching out into a whole new market – one far more accessible than the supercars it has made to date. That means there'll be a whole new class of customers who'll suddenly contemplate putting $184,900 down on an example of Woking's finest. But whether you're among those with the means or not, it's a tempting way to waste some time to play around with an online configurator – and that's just what McLaren has launched for the new 570S. The British racing team turned exotic automaker revealed its new entry-level model at the New York Auto Show last week in its signature shade of orange, and even released some photos of the 570S in a slick dark silver finish. But of course those are just starting points: McLaren in seventeen color choices, with three wheel options (each available in three finishes), six colors for the brake calipers, and a whole mess of carbon-fiber trim pieces. And that's before you even step into the cockpit, where the possibilities are virtually endless. Toying around with the configuration tool, we went for a pseudo-Storm Trooper approach with the special Silica White paint, the super-lightweight forged alloys in diamond-cut finish, and probably more carbon parts then we'd actually care to order, push come to twin-turbocharged shove. What combination would you choose? Related Video: Related Gallery McLaren 570S View 28 Photos News Source: McLarenTip: Troy McLaren Coupe Supercars configurator mclaren 570s mclaren sports series

Road-legal McLaren P1 GTR in the works

When the McLaren F1 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its first try, it was the car run by Lanzante Motorsport that took the victory. The English firm has maintained a two-decade relationship with McLaren, often through work on the F1, and it will now turn its attention to the P1 GTR by making the 986-horsepower track-only supercar road-legal for certain customers. What needs to be done for the conversion, how long it takes, and the specs of the finished product will be determined by where in the world the owner plans to use the car, so Lanzante is taking each order "on a case-by-case basis." But the company has said that the finished product will always maintain its positioning compared to the currently road-legal P1, by being more powerful, faster, and having more aggressive aerodynamics. The first donor car should hit the operating lift later this year. McLaren isn't officially involved in the project, but speculation is that the Woking carmaker and its MSO division will be there to assist in order to make sure all goes well.