2019 Mclaren 720s Performance Coupe 2d on 2040-cars

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2015 Spanish F1 Grand Prix makes its Deutsche mark

The first race of the European Formula One season inaugurates the second phase of the Championship. Teams overhaul their cars with the big updates they've been working on since Australia, and at the end of The Battle of Spain we find out how the positions on the field have changed. Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg brought a big update to his psychology, straight-up beating teammate Lewis Hamilton to take his first pole position of the season. Mercedes owns the front row and Ferrari maintains its status as primary challenger, Sebastian Vettel lining up in third. Williams proved it's been hitting the books to do better in class, though, Valtteri Bottas slotting into fourth. And Toro Rosso's visit to a track that rewards strong aero rewarded them with the best team grid position since the Italian Grand Prix in 2008: Carlos Sainz secured fifth, ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth. Kimi Raikkonen's bout of Saturday woes – it seems the Finn is always handicapped by lots of tiny issues – continued in Barcelona with one of his sets of prime tires getting cooked by malfunctioning tire warmers. He recovered well enough to take seventh on the grid, but he's got some strong competition ahead of him. He led three other drivers in the Continuous Issues department, Daniil Kvyat unable to wrestle his Infiniti Red Bull Racing higher than eighth, Williams driver Felipe Massa getting it wrong in Turn 3 to fall five places behind his teammate Bottas, and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull enduring another engine change and sloppy car behavior to get tenth. And while it turned out to be a steady race a little rough around the edges, the positions on the battlefield just might have changed. A little. Of the 66 laps in the race we might have seen Rosberg for three of them – maybe. The German got a smashing start, had a clear lead into Turn 1, and after that we checked in occasionally during his two pit stops and again at the checkered flag. He owned the entire weekend the way we're used to seeing his teammate do, and the cameras left him alone to run his race. No one got within seven seconds of him during the first third, and as the pit stop strategies played out that cushion grew. He finished seventeen seconds ahead of Hamilton, and 45 seconds ahead of third-placed Vettel. Hamilton, on the back foot all three days, stumbled out of the gate.

McLaren lops top off 570S without a performance penalty

McLaren will have fully fleshed out its 570 range with the introduction of this new 570S Spider, which will make its public debut at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. So now there's a 570 for the long-distance driver ( 570GT), sun worshiper (570S Spider), and the hardcore sports car fanatic ( 570S). Unlike the 570GT, though, the 570S Spider has almost no reduction in performance compared with the hardtop 570S. The Spider has the same 562-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8, and it still catapults the car to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. It also has the same top speed of 204 mph with the top up. With the top down, it's reduced to 196 mph. McLaren also says the Spider is just as stiff as the coupe, and the slightly longer rear spoiler helps keep downforce the same. Heck, fuel economy stays the same, too, at 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. You know, if you cared about that kind of stuff. That's not to say there isn't any penalty for adding a convertible top. The Spider weighs 101 pounds more than the standard 570S. That's not insignificant, but it probably won't make much of a difference unless you're on the track. In exchange, you'll be able to soak up rays and exhaust noise through the open roof. It won't take long to let in the light either, since the top goes up or down in just 15 seconds. The rear window also acts as a wind deflector and can be electrically raised or lowered, whether or not the top is up. The 570S Spider is available to order right now, starting at $208,800, so it will cost about $10,000 more than the coupe. The Audi R8 Spyder and Porsche 911 Turbo S cost less, too. But on the flip side, you'll pay over $50,000 more for a Ferrari 488 Spider or Lamborghini Huracan Spyder. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

McLaren Ultimate Vision GT | 1,134-hp hybrid with a crazy driving position

As with Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport will feature special Vision GT cars, which are concepts designed by real car manufacturers for use in the video-game series. These cars imagine what a company might produce far into the future, as far as 2030 or later in the case of the car McLaren has just revealed as its contribution. It's called the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo, and it's a thoroughly wild hybrid. Starting with performance, the McLaren retains a certain amount of gasoline propulsion thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. This engine powers the rear wheels, while the fronts are powered by individual electric motors. The combined output is 1,134 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque. While there are some hypercars with greater output right now, those numbers become more impressive when you realize this virtual McLaren weighs a little more than 2,200 pounds, less than a current Mazda Miata. The light weight should also make the inboard carbon ceramic brakes highly effective, too. The light weight comes from a body and chassis created using a considerable amount of carbon fiber. That body has unique active aerodynamics that rely on opening and closing holes near air inlets to adjust drag and downforce. According to McLaren, this method is simpler and lighter than mechanical flaps for the same purpose. Aside from the remarkable performance numbers, the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo also has a remarkable cockpit. It has a large glass area for good visibility, but the party piece is the prone seating position that McLaren calls "motorcycle-like." It probably is a cool way to drive, though we do wonder how comfortable that position would be for a length of time. Interestingly, the McLaren isn't the first to imagine a Vision GT car with this sort of seating. The Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo did something similar. Much more of that car was outlandish though, since it was supposedly propelled by lasers. No, really, lasers. That's what Chevy said. Don't expect to see the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo on the road anytime soon, but you can get behind the wheel virtually very soon. It will be featured in Gran Turismo Sport for PlayStation 4, which goes on sale October 17. The car will also join another special sports car, the Fittipaldi EF7, designed by Pininfarina and racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.