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2015 Mexican Grand Prix is a lot like old times

The last time Formula One visited Mexico, in 1992, 26 cars powered by eight engine manufacturers (counting Honda and Mugen-Honda separately) lined up on the grid; it would have been nine engine makers but the Brabham-Judd cars failed to qualify. In 1992 Lewis Hamilton was seven years old, Sebastian Vettel was five, Max Verstappen was still five years away from being born. Two of the current Sky Sports F1 commentary team, Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert, were drivers. The starting three were Nigel Mansell on pole – 39 years old, this the year he'd win his only World Championship – and Riccardo Patrese both driving Williams-Renault cars, followed by Michael Schumacher in a Benetton-Ford. Only 13 of the 26 starters would finish. The circuit is has been reworked to today's safer standards, the track surface is brand new and slippery, but the atmosphere and packed grandstands haven't changed. Nico Rosberg was another point of consistency, scoring pole position for the fourth race in a row to beat his now-World-Champion teammate Hamilton by almost two-tenths of a second. The last time Rosberg turned pole position into a victory? The Spanish Grand Prix back in May. Vettel locked up third for Ferrari, followed by the Infiniti Red Bull Racing duo of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Williams went two-up as well, Valtteri Bottas in sixth ahead of Felipe Massa in seventh. Max Verstappen turned in a great late lap to reserve eighth place, Sergio Perez did all he could in front of his home crowd to get ninth, teammate Nico Hulkenberg the caboose in the top ten. In that 1992 race the first three on the grid finished the race in the same order after Mansell dominated, and it was almost the same in 2015. If Rosberg had driven the whole season like he drove today the Driver's World Championship would still be up for grabs. He got a great start and held his line through the first corner, coming out ahead of Hamilton through the initial kinks, pulling away as soon as he got to the straight. Hamilton was never more than a few seconds behind, but every time the Brit inched closer the German found a few more tenths to keep his distance. The field got bunched up when the Safety Car came out on Lap 53 after Vettel spun and got stuck in the barriers, but Rosberg handled the restart perfectly. Both drivers made small mistakes in the last few laps while driving on the edge, but Rosberg earned a strong victory, crossing the line two seconds ahead of his teammate.

McLaren reveals top-exit exhaust of new model, announces launch date

McLaren just released some more tidbits of info about its next car, including a new teaser image. This one explains the lack of the exhaust in the last photo: The exhaust comes out of the top of the engine cover. Two big outlets sit at the back and center of the engine cover, and it looks like they're just ahead of the retractable rear spoiler. They certainly look cool, probably sound cool, and we wouldn't be surprised if there's a performance reason behind this placement. Besides the sneak peek at the exhaust, McLaren made a few broad statements about the car. It said that it will be more powerful and lighter than whatever it's based on.The company also indicated earlier that the car will be very hardcore and uncompromised. From the previous teaser, we're fairly certain the car is based on the Sports Series McLarens that include the 570S, 570GT and 570S Spyder in the U.S., and the 540C in other markets. Since the names of the cars are based on horsepower, and this one will make more than the current 570 models, it probably won't use the 570 moniker. We also won't have to wait too long to see the car revealed. The company will show it off on June 28 at 7 a.m. Eastern time. We'll then get to see it in action when it heads up the hill at Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars mclaren 570s

McLaren Speedtail revealed — it's a silver speeding bullet

The McLaren Speedtail hypercar is finally here, and it's a streamlined stunner. The whole car is slicker than a bar of soap, and everything about it is there to make it the fastest McLaren road car in history — a combination of sophisticated design and astonishing speed. Grilles and air intakes are kept small and out of the way. It has a long tapering tail. The front wheels have large, smooth carbon-fiber aero-covers that remain fixed as the wheels rotate, to smooth out turbulence from the wheels. Ducts and air passages are all designed to further reduce turbulence, and of course that's the point of the long tail. Air flow for the engine comes from a snorkel intake that is so minimal you can't even see it in profile. Some of the particularly curious parts are the patented rear active spoilers. The flaps appear to not have any kind of joint or gap where they lift. The cockpit is suitably futuristic and unique, too. As the company had previously mentioned, the seat is in the center, as with the old McLaren F1 road car. Immediately in front of the driver is the steering wheel and a main screen for instruments, and to either side are additional screens for other information and interfaces. At the base of either pillar are two smaller screens which are connected to cameras that substitute side mirrors for less drag — and for even less drag, the cameras can be retracted. In what seems like a nod to airplanes, key controls, knobs and switches are above the driver on the ceiling — even the gear select buttons are up there. McLaren revealed its ultimate Ultimate Series car on Friday, offering details only hinted at before. The car almost looks more like a land-speed-record car than a road car. The automaker says the Speedtail is its most aerodynamic creation ever, and that this was its "singleminded vision" — not hard to believe, looking at it: "A jaw-dropping elongated body makes it as much a work of art as a masterpiece of technology." Seen from above, the overall car and its passenger compartment are shaped like a teardrop, which McLaren calls the fastest shape in nature. And indeed this is McLaren's fastest car. Its hybrid powertrain puts out over 1,000 horsepower. (McLaren rates it as 1,035 bhp, so horsepower is just under 1,050.) We applaud the press-release writer's use of the word relentless here: "The hybrid powertrain enables a relentless increase in vehicle speed. ..." Top speed is 250 mph — exceeding the F1's 243 mph.