2018 Mclaren 720s Performance on 2040-cars

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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 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.

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.