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UPDATE: Formula 1 Halo protector surely saved a life at Belgian Grand Prix

The hotly-debated F1 halo cockpit protection structure got much attention over the weekend, as the one mounted on Charles Leclerc's Sauber appears to have successfully deflected Fernando Alonso's McLaren from hitting Leclerc on a first-lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix. The scrapes on the Sauber's halo work well to convert former disbelievers into supporting the structure. There is a real chance Leclerc could have been seriously hurt or killed in the crash, but as it happened, the incident only meant the end of the race for Leclerc, not a season, career or life. The image tweeted by the official F1 account speaks volumes: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Later, F1 tweeted this pretty wild 360-degree video from Leclerc's car: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. And as "Top Gear" presenter Chris Harris tweeted: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Back when the season began, the Mercedes-Benz F1 team announced that the halo on the Mercedes car is strong enough to bear the weight of a double-decker London bus. As well as flying debris, detached wheels — and entire flying Formula 1 cars.   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2018 Belgian Grand Prix: Race Highlights Related Video:

McLaren 720S Stealth isn't all that stealthy

Plenty of supercar and ultra-luxury car brands have bespoke vehicle programs. However, we don't always get a peek behind the curtains at what exactly comes out of those. Ferrari has Tailor Made; Bentley has Mulliner; Aston Martin has Q and so on. McLaren might just have the most public and outspoken of all these programs with MSO, or McLaren Special Operations. Today it released all the details on one of its latest creations: the MSO 720S Stealth Theme. It's not particularly accurate to call a 720S "stealthy," but the Sarthe Grey paint does the best job it can. That color is inspired by the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR, and is broken up by red accents throughout the vehicle. This red detailing was hand-painted and took nearly 200 hours to finish, according to McLaren. A unique satin finish is used for all the visual carbon fiber components, including the front air intakes, door mirrors and arms, rear deck and engine cover and rear fender air intakes. Extra lightweight MSO wheels get finished in black and the same red accents as the rest of the car. The interior continues the red and carbon fiber theme with bright accents everywhere you look. Having the economic freedom to write a blank check to McLaren is how you're going to build yourself a car like this. The London McLaren dealer commissioned this one to be made, so it'll be staying on the other side of the pond for now. It's always neat to check these ultra-unique type of cars out — Lamborghini just took it a full step beyond this one and built a one-off car for a wealthy client. This McLaren will end up drawing a few extra stares too. Related video:

McLaren's electric supercars are not quite there yet

While Rimac is all about electric supercars and has just revealed its outrageous-sounding 1,914-horsepower C_Two car at the Geneva Motor Show, McLaren is cautious about producing an EV quite yet. Hybrids are far more suitable for McLaren's immediate need than launching a full electric vehicle, says McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt. In an interview with Autocar, Flewitt says McLaren's electric portfolio is still very much in development, and that one in two McLarens sold in 2022 is to be a hybrid. But it wouldn't be right for the brand to launch a half-baked, full-electric supercar, and McLaren's standard is that any EV would have to offer performance equal to its existing cars. "It's a challenge for us to produce the same engagement as with the P1, the Senna and the 675 LT," says Flewitt. Earlier, he has stated that for an electric supercar to match the P1's performance, it would have to weigh two tons. EV development, however, is still on track, and McLaren has "an electric mule running around." For the company, getting the desired electric performance in a production-viable package is still at least five years away, Flewitt says. "It's not in [ the Track22 plan] because we don't have an answer yet." McLaren is a lot more positive about hybrids. Flewitt says hybrid tech is a lot easier to integrate into a powertrain design, making it integral instead of bolt-on. As he said a month ago: "Hybrid design is part of the next platform. It is designed-in from day one rather than having to adapt an existing chassis." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: AutocarImage Credit: AOL/Drew Phillips Green Geneva Motor Show McLaren Coupe Electric Future Vehicles Hybrid Performance Supercars 2018 Geneva Motor Show mclaren automotive Rimac mclaren hybrid