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Watch the McLaren GT run up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

We first saw the McLaren GT back in May, but now we have a good view of the car in motion, having made its “dynamic debut” at the hill during the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car that ran up the hill appears to be the same one (or at least, the same color) as the one shown at its static reveal. It sounds appropriately bubbly, too. Recall, this one uses a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 with smaller turbos for a punchier, flatter torque curve. While its 612 horsepower puts it in the middle of the range, the GT seeks a balance between performance, comfort and luxury. ItÂ’s something that was previewed to some extent by the earlier (and lower-tier) 570GT, trading some outright performance for more sophisticated comfort. In motion, the GTÂ’s more mature design, with longer overhangs and smoothed-out lines, looks slinkier. ItÂ’s a bit like a McLaren 720S took off its workout clothes and changed into a sharp suit. It also seems to allow more of its V8 nature to emerge from the tailpipes, whereas other Maccas like the 720S sound more like high-strung race cars. This video gives us a taste of the range of driving experiences that Woking would like to offer buyers, broadening its scope a bit. From what we see, weÂ’re very keen to drive the GT and see if itÂ’s as successful from behind the wheel as it appears to be from behind the camera.

McLaren gets a $185 million boost

DUBAI — British supercar manufacturer McLaren Group, which includes its Formula One team, has arranged a 150 million pound ($185.2 million) financing facility with the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), the Gulf bank said on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the company hard, with sales plunging during a factory shutdown. It announced 1,200 layoffs in May. "Final documentation has been signed and all the necessary approvals have been granted in relation to a ... 150 million (pound) financing facility," NBB said. Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding Co is the majority shareholder in McLaren Group, with a 56% stake. Mumtalakat also holds a 44.06% stake in NBB while the government of Bahrain holds a 10.85% stake. McLaren's Formula One future was never in doubt despite the cash crisis, team principal Andreas Seidl said on Tuesday. "It was a tough period for the team, steering a team through these financial difficulties we were in," Seidl told reporters. "The positive news we had yesterday about the funding which is in place now, is I think an extra boost, an extra motivation for all of us who are fully focused again on what we like to do most and what we do best." McLaren was the first team to furlough staff, with drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz also taking pay cuts, and the team also went through layoffs, a move that also reflects Formula One's 2021 budget cap. "With me and (McLaren Racing Chief Executive) Zak (Brown) having detailed knowledge of what was actually going on ... there was never a doubt of McLaren not being on the grid next year," said Seidl. The financial issues had not affected this season, he added, with regular performance upgrades planned. While some infrastructure projects had been put on hold, Seidl said he was pushing to get them going again although McLaren still had to be cautious due to uncertainty over how many races there would be and the impact on revenues. The German suggested some headlines that triggered alarm, with talk of mortgaging historical cars and the McLaren headquarters building in Woking, England, or selling a minority stake in the team, reflected McLaren's search for the best possible option in terms of funding. "(It was) finding the right funding which would not only get us through this crisis but also put us in the best possible position to be competitive in the future. So I am very happy with the news from yesterday," he said.  

Fernando Alonso home from hospital, will miss next test

Following his big crash at Catalunya on Sunday, we're glad to report that Fernando Alonso is apparently on the road to recovery. According to the latest update from McLaren, the Spanish driver is heading home "for further rest and recuperation." It won't be straight back to business for the two-time world champion, though. The team has also announced that its star driver won't be participating in the next test session, set to kick off tomorrow at the same track where Fernando crashed. Instead his wingman and fellow champ Jenson Button will proceed without him, joined instead by test/reserve driver Kevin Magnussen. The young Danish driver was promoted straight to the race seat for last season in similar style to Lewis Hamilton, who had similarly leapfrogged the usual order of things: instead of starting as a test driver or driving for a lower team, both Hamilton and Magnussen were put directly in the hot seat at McLaren. After winning the pivotal Formula Renault 3.5 series the previous season, Magnussen showed early promise when he scored a second-place finish on his race debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, but proved unable to repeat the success and was relegated to test driver at the end of the season to make room for Alonso. News Source: McLaren Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren F1 kevin magnussen