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Supercar group McLaren to cut 1,200 jobs amid coronavirus pandemic

British supercar manufacturer McLaren Group, which includes the Formula One team, said on Tuesday it would cut 1,200 jobs under a proposed restructuring program as it deals with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The move is expected to impact jobs across the group's applied technology, automotive and racing businesses, the company said in a statement. The cancellation of motorsport events, the suspension of manufacturing and retail activities around the world and reduced demand for technology solutions have hurt the group's revenue generating activities, the company added. "It is a course of action we have worked hard to avoid, having already undertaken dramatic cost-saving measures across all areas of the business. But we have no other choice but to reduce the size of our workforce," Executive Chairman Paul Walsh said. The job cuts represent more than a quarter of the group's workforce of just over 4,000, according to Sky News, which first reported the news. The group is majority owned by Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat. McLaren was the first Formula One team to furlough staff in April because of the pandemic. It has a headcount of just over 800 people, which is expected to be reduced by around 70. Formula One is due to introduce a $145 million budget cap next year as the sport seeks to cut costs and help the 10 teams survive. McLaren is the second most successful team after Ferrari in the sport's history and gave Mercedes' six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton his debut in 2007. It finished fourth in 2019 and has just signed Australian Daniel Ricciardo to partner Britain's Lando Norris in 2021. Sky News reported on May 14 that McLaren was seeking to raise up to 275 million pounds ($339.57 million) by borrowing against its Woking headquarters and collection of historic racing cars. Related Video:    

McLaren P1 GTR Senna tribute car built by MSO as the ultimate P1

McLaren just finished what looks to be one of its most incredible MSO ( McLaren Special Operations) projects ever with a P1 GTR. As is obvious in the photos, this P1 GTR is meant to celebrate the McLaren MP4/4 F1 car Ayrton Senna raced to complete dominance in the 1988 championship season. There is no shortage of Senna projects going on over at McLaren, clearly. This car has been in the works for three years running, along with McLaren's actual car, the Senna. Don't be confused, however, this is a one-off P1 GTR that a McLaren collector/Ayrton fan commissioned to be built. The livery isn't the only thing that sets it apart from other P1 GTRs either. McLaren says this car has a unique engine specification. Its heat shield is made out of 24 carat gold; the rear cover is made out of Lexan (type of plastic) and it has modified engine bay shrouds. We're not told how much more power it makes, but apparently it's more than the 986 horses in your standard P1 GTR. This Senna fan managed to wrangle the McLaren engineers into designing him a bespoke aero package for the car too. It has new front dive planes, a wider front splitter, Gurney flap, new barge boards and bigger endplates on the rear wing. Even more downforce is generated by inboard secondary wing elements. A "normal" P1 GTR produces 1,433 pounds of downforce, but this car brings that up to a whopping 1,763 pounds. Yeah, it's going to stick just fine. The design and customization on this car is pretty next-level. McLaren Rocket red and Anniversary white are the same color codes used on the F1 car. Both doors have the Marlboro barcode that was used in lieu of Marlboro script when regulations changed to bar that sort of advertising. Senna branding is all over the thing, everywhere you look. The seats are actually the same ones McLaren used in the Senna (actual car) itself. Yeah, there's a whole lot of Senna going on here. With the unbelievable attention to detail and expense that went into this car, we wonder what the owner's plans are for it. Will it live at the track (we hope) as the extra power and aero suggests? Or is this something to be put away in a collection because it's just too freaking special? Call it a good problem to have. This thing is awesome. Related video:

World Drone Prix promotes Dubai event by racing a McLaren

While there are plenty of efforts to make drone racing a serious sport, Dubai is determined to outdo them all. It's about to host the World Drone Prix, which will robotic fliers against each other in high-speed (over 62MPH) competition. Over 100 teams will participate in "American Idol-style" qualifiers between March 7th and 8th; the top 32 from that bunch will make it to the actual races on March 11th and 12th. This isn't about to usher in a Formula 1-like pro racing league, but this does have a shot at succeeding where other leagues might struggle. Besides the lavish production values (see the supercar-laden promo video above if you need proof), it's handing out a total of $1 million in prizes, including $250,000 for the winner. Although that pales in comparison to what top-tier race car leagues offer, it's a big enough incentive that it could keep teams coming back for future events.This article by Jon Fingas originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life.