Mclaren P1 GTR: because 1000 hp is the new 750 hp!

Remember when the batshit crazy, track day world championship conquering Zonda R came out and 750 hp  (ok 750 ps for sticklers) seemed like an insane amount of power for a mere mortal?

Fast forward a few years and now, 750 hp Mustangs and Challengers are out there for the taking.   750 clearly is way too pedestrian a figure for hyper track toys.

Enter Mclaren's answer to Ferrari's FXX program, the P1 GTR!

Mclaren Honda MP4-30

McLaren released images of its 2015 contender, the Honda powered MP4-30.

Elegant livery, a touch of red evokes Japan but also the classic cars of the late 90s Hakkinen era.

No new title sponsor on the car though Mclaren teamed up with CNN international who used to have a spot on Caterhams.

The nose, long and low, hangs over the front wing, without that quasi-obscene appendage on the 2014 car.


Oddly, for a company whose boss professed not to want to look back just last month, the shadow of the MP4/4 looms large.   Can't disagree with that marketing decision but the Alonso-Button "Back to the Future' video?  

Awkward  would be the kind way to put it.



Ouch!  The internet however did not miss the chance at a new meme

via F1B

McLaren finally makes it official, invoking the myth of Ayrton Senna.

McLaren finally made it official: Fernando Alonso, and Jenson Button will drive in 2015, Kevin Magnussen will be the reserve driver.

The official release is accompanied by a picture of the drivers, Ron Dennis and Honda's Yasuhisa Arai standing in front of of a MP4/4 in their regulation gray suits.

Much is made of the Senna legacy and the dominating 1988 season when Mclaren won 15 of the 16  races.  It was a triumph for Honda but it's worth remembering it was also a year the majority of teams sacrificed by not running turbo engines ahead of their ban in 89.   Of course Honda trashed everyone in 89 too but that's another, long story.

“We do not need myths. We need examples to be followed – examples of courage, determination and hope. We need to believe it is possible to win, and it is our duty to pursue that belief.”  A quote from Ayrton is included, without apparent irony in the release along with this from Alonso:

“I have never hidden my deep admiration for Ayrton Senna, my favourite driver, my idol on track, my reference.

“I still remember, as a kid, the posters in my wardrobe, my toy cars in which I dreamed I would one day emulate Ayrton, and the kart that my father built for my older sister, and that I ended up falling in love with. That kart had the livery of one of the most legendary partnerships in the history of Formula 1, McLaren-Honda, the car that Ayrton drove, the same partnership to which I am now honoured to join, to take part in the next Formula 1 world championship."

and Button:

“I admired Ayrton Senna enormously, but, for me, it was the exploits of his McLaren-Honda team-mate Alain Prost that inspired me most as a boy. The way he stroked those beautifully brutal red-and-white cars to grand prix wins and world championships was to my mind poetry in motion, and I have tried to emulate his driving style ever since."

This brings to a conclusion a bizarre soap opera, with Fernando's silence, Jenson's public humiliation and Ron Dennis' rumored internal power struggles with his Mclaren partners.  Things may have been chaotic at Ferrari but at Mclaren, with Alonso brought on by Honda and the history between him and Dennis it will be a situation fraught with drama potential.   It's telling that, while much is made of driver statistics and seeming justifications for their "advanced" ages,  no mention is made of the length of the contracts.   It is speculated Alonso has a out clause that would allow him to leave after a single year should he choose to and, presumably Jenson would out at any time if Magnussen secures sufficient sponsorship, perhaps from a certain Danish brick maker.

It will be something to watch,  history says Alonso at Mclaren, a team he first joined chasing a myth,  is an almost comical bad fit but shotgun marriages do work... sometimes.
Alonso is the only one actually smiling in the picture!

Deal with the devil?

One of the inevitable questions about Alonso' future many are asking is, how could he go to Mclaren and why would Ron Dennis ever want him back after the fallout of the "spy gate" scandal of 2007.

Mclaren were slapped with a $100 million fine for getting a hold of Ferrari inside information and though the team was later able to write off the the penalty as a loss, it was still a big enough blow that Ron Dennis stopped away from racing for a few years.

Now he's back and first thing is he hires Alonso?

it turns out, Alonso is still the bane of his existence because, as you know, Mclaren will be the only team to get the new Honda power units in 2015 and guess what comes in a package with the Japanese engines?

You got it,  Alonso will not sign with Mclaren because, it's been said, he signed with Honda for a hefty 35 million Euro a season ($44M).   It also means that, theoretically, Alonso would be free to move to any other future Honda powered team should it prove more competitive.  Alonso would return to Mclaren not as a Mclaren employee.

This must drive Dennis bonkers,  he needs Honda money and motors and having to take his old nemesis back must be a bitter ofpill to swallow.   Of course, in this devil's bargain, he's getting the best and possibly the hungriest driver in F1 at the moment so he'll be all right with the right antacid medication and some xanax.

For his part, Fernando is off somewhere enjoying some water sports and tweeting #TheBestIsYetToCome...  hey, is that a Honda water bike?

Buen fin de semana a todos!!! #loMejorEstaPorLlegar 😜😜😜 Enjoy the weekend!!! #theBestIsYetToCome 😜😜😜 pic.twitter.com/vOwYDXcUDD
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) October 18, 2014

Honda hoping F1 history will repeat

In 1966 my grandfather was taking pictures on pit lane at Monza. Among shots of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Jackie Stewart were a couple of frames of what he probably felt was still a curiosity: a gorgeous white and red Japanese car,  the Honda RA 273 of Richie Ginther.

Honda had entered F1 in 64 and would score its first win the year following these pictures in 1967, when John Surtees won in Italy with a Lola designed chassis.

Ginther by Rainer Schagelmilch 

Honda's domination in F1 came as an engine supplier to Mclaren in the Senna-Prost years, 1988 to 1992.

Honda will be back with Mclaren again next year, hoping no doubt history will repeat.   Although it's expected Fernando Alonso will join the team, as of this writing nothing is official yet and there are rumors floating around of delays in the development of both the Honda power unit and the Mclaren chassis.  Take them with a grain of salt.

Honda released this promo film today.   Below it, a clip of previous Honda F1 engines.

"Qualify Driving" at Suzuke with Ayrton Senna

Post by Axis of Oversteer.

Watching this video I thought of all the talk about making current F1 more of a challenge for drivers... Basic aero, three pedals, a stick and super sticky tires anyone?

Estre flies at the Nürburgring!

Frozenspeed

With a 8:10.927 lap, Kevin Estre put the Dörr Motorsport Mclaren 12c GT3 on pole for the 2014 ADAC 24H Rennen at the Nürburgring.

Allez Kevin!

Throwback Thursday: BMW Eargasm

Dan Morgan/Flickr

While we reflect on sounds produced by the new "green" race cars whooshing around La Sarthe this week end, lets bask in the glorious sounds of a now 20 year old race car.

Justin Bell got to drive the Big Mac from  BMW North America's fabulous historical collection around Mid Ohio.  GoPro was along to record every possible angle and capture that amazing engine wail.

Chassis 17R, Ex Team Bigazzi was driven to eight place overall in the 1996 24 Hour of Le Mans by Nelson Piquet, Johnny Ceccotto and Danny Sullivan.

Turn it up!

Fresh off the presses:  BMW has announced GoPro integration for their cars via iDrive apps.  Check out the press release and info on the Axis Facebook page



If you'd like a more raw experience, less cameras, more sound, let me suggest this clip

Senna's Ghost Lights Up Suzuka

Ayrton Senna's gone but his data remains.

Honda used 24 year telemetry from Senna's Mclaren Honda MP4/5 along with an epic array of lights and speakers to recreate this ghostly lap at Suzuka.

The 1989 MP4/5 was powered by a Honda V10 and, of course, Suzuka was the the site of the infamous incident between Senna and teammate Alain Prost at the chicane.    An odd but amazing tribute giving the measure of just how seriously Honda is taking the ramp up to its return to F1.



(Honda Japan)

Nine K and ready to race

Mclaren's latest entry for the road legal class of the Track Day World Championship, the P1, is ready to race.  

Battle is set to begin at the International Motor Show in Geneva in early March,  a production P1 will be presented to the public to counter  Ferrari's latest hyper car, the yet to be officially named F150.    Pagani might have something up his and carbon fiber sculpted  sleeve as well, should be one of the more interesting shows in years.

Mclaren is giving a first tease of the P1's instrument display,  we learn the car has either  nine forward gears or a 9K redline and an F1 style shift light display.  Activating "Race mode" will also configure the rear spoiler for best downforce and presumably set shocks, transmission and engine parameters to their most aggressive settings.

An Inspiration

thanks to James Gibson for pointing out this stunning piece of film by Mclaren.

2013 Mclaren Mercedes MP4-28

Mclaren raises its nose and the level of the show at the launch for the 2013 F1 contender.  Isn't it nice to see a bit of flash after all the years of pseudo poverty launches?
Rolling is the M8D followed by all the other Woking classics was a fantastic way to celebrate 50 years of the team.

Presentation wings and bits are, of course, just there for show.   The biggest news is Mclaren will the first team to follow Ferrari's move to a pull rod front suspension.   It's a tradeoff, slightly higher CG and setup complication vs much cleaner airflow under the nose. It will be interesting to see how Mclaren get on with it after watching the red team with it for a year.

Flexi-Wings, meet Pivot Wings

From the "If you ain't cheatin', you Ain't tryin'" files.   Mclaren are set to be...let's see, what would the the correct term... clarified  about a clever new front wing attachment system that is said to allow the whole wing to pivot on its horizontal axis.
 This presumably allows for more efficient airflow under the car and towards the rear diffuser and the reason Mclaren have been so dominant in the last few races.

Mclaren, not surprisingly, denies. Read about it in Auto Motor Sport and pass the popcorn.

There's a Mclaren P1 in my kitchen!

Singapore GP Qualifying: Hamilton hammers, Vettel peaks too soon.

It's going to be a very interesting first lap tomorrow what with old friends Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado sharing the first row.  Maldonado knows the stewards eyes will be on him but the margin of error here at Singapore is nothing.   Pass the popcorn.

Lurking behind is the other kid under surveillance, Romain Grosjean,  call him "Lucky Luke" after stuffing his Lotus into the tire barriers in Q2 without any apparent damage.  Speaking of hitting the wall, in Q3 Hamilton, apparently not content having essentially pulverized the field was on a final flier when he touched the wall with his right rear,   will there be an issue in the race?

Vettel could not match his Q2 pace in Q3, this after being the fastest guy in every practice session.  His Q2 time would have put him on the front row ahead of Maldonado and his miracle  lap but Sebastian made a mistake on his final attempt.

Alonso is a whole second down but can afford to be,  for Ferrari it will be a question of reliability, consistent race pace and tire wear.  If he gets on the podium, it's a win.   Unfortunately Alonso has to do all the work alone,  Massa failed to make Q3,   Barring a miracle in the race this will be his last Singapore GP.

Raikkonen needed more ice cream.

This will be a race of strategy,  safety cars are likely and last year it was a 3 or 4 stop race.   Pass more popcorn.

Pos  Driver                Team                 Time         Gap   
 1.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m46.362s           
 2.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault     1m46.804s  + 0.442  
 3.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m46.905s  + 0.543  
 4.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m46.939s  + 0.577  
 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m47.216s  + 0.854  
 6.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m47.241s  + 0.879  
 7.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m47.475s  + 1.113  
 8.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault        1m47.788s  + 1.426  
 9.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             no time              
10.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             no time              
Q2 cut-off time: 1m47.943s                                   Gap **
11.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes 1m47.975s  + 1.310
12.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault        1m48.261s  + 1.596
13.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m48.344s  + 1.679
14.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m48.505s  + 1.840
15.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m48.774s  + 2.109
16.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m48.849s  + 2.184
17.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault     no time
Q1 cut-off time: 1m49.809s                                    Gap *
18.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m49.933s  + 2.245
19.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault     1m50.846s  + 3.158
20.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault     1m51.137s  + 3.449
21.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth    1m51.370s  + 3.682
22.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth    1m51.762s  + 4.074
23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth         1m52.372s  + 4.684
24.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth         1m53.355s  + 5.667
107% time: 1m55.226s

* Gap to quickest in Q1

** Gap to quickest in Q2

Mclaren vs Mclaren

Everyone is looking forward to this one being unveiled at the Paris Auto Show. If Mclaren have a problem it will not necessarily be competition from the Porsche 918 and the from what I hear, completely mental, Ferrari F70 or the Huayra or the Aventador.

Mclaren's challenge will be surpassing the expectations and benchmark they set twenty years ago with the Gordon Murray F1, a car that looks as fresh today as it did in '92. That car had three seats and a stunning normally aspirated V12 engine. This one has a V8 a turbo and, possibly, batteries.

Let's see.

Tooned 2

2.8 Seconds is actually slower than Mclaren's real pit stop a Hockenheim, but I guess they did not have to square Lewis' forehead!

Ferrari is the most valuable racing team on the planet.

Photo: Ercole Colombo

Scuderia Ferrari is worth $1.1 Billion ranking at number 15 on Forbes' 50 most Valuable Sports teams list.

Forbes writes:

"F1 powerhouse Ferrari ranks No. 15 with a value of $1.1 billion, up 3% from last year. Ferrari extended its $52 million-a-year sponsorship deal this year with Spanish bank Santander. This follows Ferrari’s blockbuster extension last year with sponsor Marlboro worth as much as $500 million over three years. "

You may have heard rumblings about a link between Coca Cola and Mclaren, While these links appears to be more bubbles than sugar,   Mclaren, 40th on the list, needs a gigantic deal like that to keep up with the Scuderia.

Forbes:

"McLaren’s value fell 2% this year to $800 million as main backer Vodafone is reviewing its sports sponsorship commitments. McLaren would be hard pressed to replace Vodafone at comparable levels. McLaren also faces the free agency of Lewis Hamilton, who is one of the most marketable drivers in the sport. Hamilton’s contract expires at the end of 2012."

Just to put all this on perspective, combined Ferrari and Mclaren cannot even get close to the value of #1 ranked Manchester United:  $2.23 billion!

Mclaren Funnies

This is pretty funny but some could be tempted, after their recent performances, to think Mclaren might have lost focus a bit...

Lap the Nürburgring at night in a Mclaren MP4-12c GT3

What can you see at night while you are barreling down the Foxhole at 180 on the Nordschleife?
Not much if you go by the camera mounted on Lucas De Grassi's helmet...