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McLaren intent on signing Vettel, Alonso

There are several world champions on the Formula One grid this year, but only two multiple world champions. And McLaren wants them both. In fact, the latest reports from pit lane indicate that the British team is undertaking a concerted effort to sign one or both for next year or beyond. According to Autosport, both team principals Ron Dennis and Eric Boullier are focused on signing Sebastian Vettel and/or Fernando Alonso, who have between them taken six of the past nine world championships (the other three belonging to Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, all of whom have driven for McLaren) and are prepared not only to pay handsomely, but also to wait: Vettel is currently signed with Red Bull through the end of 2015, and Alonso with Ferrari through 2016. But both have struggled this season with cars that can't keep up with the front-running Mercedes, and could welcome the opportunity to start afresh with a new team – and a highly successful one at that. Of course, McLaren hasn't been at the top of its game lately either, but the Woking outfit is at the dawn of a new era. Next year it's bringing Honda back to the grid with an all-new engine that may take some time to break in but stands a chance of threatening the Mercedes' dominance this season in a way that the Renault and Ferrari engines have not. It just needs the right drivers to pilot them. As of yet, it seems that McLaren has not received a firm "no" from either driver's camp, and appear to be eager to continue pursuing either or both until they're told otherwise. In the meantime, the team is leaving its current drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen in limbo with the prospect of being signed for another year, another few or not at all. It all depends on what becomes of Alonso and Vettel. After winning his back-to-back titles with Renault, Alonso briefly drove for McLaren in 2007. That was the same in which Vettel made his race debut for Toro Rosso, two years before switching to the Red Bull team he's been ever since. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren F1 Sebastian Vettel

McLaren confirms track-focused P1 GTR

McLaren is, first and foremost, a racing outfit. That's why it seemed odd that, when producing its first road-going supercar – the legendary McLaren F1 – it did not originally intend to take it racing. Of course competitive minds prevailed, and the rest is history: the resulting McLaren F1 GTR not only win in its own GT1 class, but beat out more advanced Le Mans prototypes to positively dominate endurance racing in the mid-90s. Now McLaren is out to revive that spirit with the announcement of the new P1 GTR. Instead of a racer, though, the P1 GTR will be – as expected – a track toy for wealthy clients... most of whom will probably be drawn from the existing pool of McLaren P1 road-car owners. Think of it as Woking's answer to the Ferrari XX program and you won't be far off. Differentiating the GTR from the road-going P1 will be more aggressive bodywork (for increased downforce and cooling), a wider track, slick tires and – arguably the best part – a target output of 986 horsepower, an increase of 83 hp over stock. Set to begin production only after all 375 examples of the road-going P1 have been produced, the McLaren P1 GTR will set Woking's wealthiest clients back a heft GBP1.98 million – equivalent to about $3.35 million at today's exchange rates, making GTR ownership one of the most expensive prospects on the market. For that much cash, owners will also get to train with McLaren's driver fitness team, train on its advanced simulator and participate in at least six track sessions on grand prix circuits each year. McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE TO BESTOW ICONIC BADGE ON ULTIMATE TRACK-FOCUSED McLAREN P1™ GTR 13/06/14 Twenty years on from victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the now legendary McLaren F1 GTR, McLaren Automotive will resurrect the iconic name from its history for the track-only edition of the award-winning McLaren P1™. The limited-run model will go into production when the 375th and final example of the road car has been completed, and in homage to its race-winning ancestor, the most powerful McLaren to date will be named the McLaren P1™ GTR. With no need to comply with road legislation, the McLaren P1™ GTR will be designed and developed as the best drivers' car in the world on track. This will see even greater levels of performance, grip, aerodynamics and downforce than the road car.

Rowan Atkinson sells his McLaren F1 for $12 million

With little over a hundred produced (including prototypes and racers), there aren't a lot of McLaren F1 owners out there. Rowan Atkinson is among the most prominent, but he won't be any longer as reports from the UK reveal that he's sold his F1. The actor best known for his role as Mr. Bean bought his McLaren back in 1997 when it was still new for what was then a princely sum of GBP540,000 (about $830k). He drove it regularly over the nearly two decades since, putting some 41,000 miles on the odometer and crashing it twice – the most recent collision in 2011 cost his insurers a reported $1.4 million to fix. With values for the McLaren F1 skyrocketing, Atkinson put it on the market earlier this year. The consignment was handled by London classic and supercar broker Taylor & Crawley, headed by the same David Clark who sold Atkinson the car when he served as McLaren's sales director. Although the final transaction price has not been disclosed, the original asking price was GBP8 million – equivalent to over $12 million at current exchange rates. The supercar was reportedly purchased by another British enthusiast who intends to drive it as frequently as Atkinson did. Private treaty sales like this (where prices are not generally disclosed) notwithstanding, the Atkinson sale would eclipse the highest price paid to date for the iconic supercar at auction. According to Sports Car Market, the top price paid was at Pebble Beach in 2013, where Gooding & Co sold one for just under $8.5 million. The same event the following year saw one go unsold, despite a high bid of over $10 million. Related Video: