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America gets its first McLaren P1 GTR

McLaren won't be making a lot of P1 GTRs. Only 35, to be precise. And most of them will likely remain under the company's care, to be transported to specially organized track days. That means you're not likely to see many of them here in the United States, but one fortunate customer recently took delivery of one such track-bound supercar in Northern California. Decked out in a shade of British Racing Green so deep it looks almost black, with trim in McLaren's signature shade of orange, this particular McLaren P1 GTR was captured while being offloaded from a truck in San Jose a little over a week ago. Given the location, we'd imagine the vehicle belongs to some Silicon Valley billionaire – which only makes sense, considering that it costs a good $3 million or so. But the location also means local fans should soon see it lapping around Sonoma Raceway and Laguna Seca in due course. The GTR is the track-focused counterpart to the road-going P1. It packs the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain as the P1, but tuned to deliver nearly 1,000 horsepower, unburdened of excess weight, and fitted with equipment designed specifically for the racing circuit. Like the LaFerrari-based FXX K and the Aston Martin Vulcan, it's designed neither for the road nor for any racing series, but just as a plaything that the uber-wealthy can toy around with on track days. With production of the P1 now complete, the craftsmen at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking are building the last few GTRs before the Ultimate Series of which this car is part closes its books. Related Video:

2016 Canadian Grand Prix: A tale of 3 starts and 2 stops

The first curve in the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix happened before Turn 1. Lewis Hamilton sat on pole in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas, Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari behind. That order changed as soon as the lights went out. Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg started well enough, but Vettel flew off the line, passing Hamilton in just a few meters. Vettel led through Turn 1 while Hamilton defended against Rosberg trying to pass on the outside by using the entire track. Hamilton bumped his teammate, sending Rosberg into the concrete runoff with an " infuriating but fair" maneuver Hamilton blamed on understeer. The Brit stayed second, his teammate fell to ninth by the time he rejoined the circuit and got back on the gas. The Ferrari finally looked an even match for the Mercedes, Vettel slowly building a gap out front. On Lap 11 the Honda in Jenson Button's McLaren self-ignited just after the hairpin, forcing Button to pull over on the Casino Straight. A Virtual Safety Car slowed the field, convincing Ferrari to pit its drivers. Vettel came in, handing the lead to Hamilton. The marshals cleared Button's car more quickly than expected, so the scuderia didn't get the full time advantage it expected, sending Vettel back on track seven seconds behind the Mercedes. Button's and Ferrari's unplanned stops decided the race. Ferrari had always planned to run a two-stopper, but the early pit didn't give the team a chance to gauge the ultra-soft Pirelli. The ultra-softs lasted longer than anyone expected. Hamilton only pitted once, Vettel had to pit again, and the Ferrari simply couldn't close the gap to the Mercedes even with newer tires. Post-race commentary accused Ferrari of two blunders: giving up track position, and not taking advantage of Mercedes' only known weakness of not being nearly as good in dirty air. If the ultra-softs had fallen off a performance cliff, however, Ferrari's play would have been considered daring and brilliant. Hamilton took his second win of the season, followed by a hard-driving Vettel five seconds later. Valtteri Bottas and Williams got everything right, the Finn taking advantage of a one-stop strategy, a perfectly-timed pit stop, and more unusual Red Bull issues to finish third. It's Williams' first podium of the year. Max Verstappen claimed fourth after two pit stops, holding off a frustrated Rosberg who had to make an unscheduled stop to remedy a slow puncture.

F1 should scrap qualifying and drop out of the sky instead

There's always some new controversy hovering over the Formula One paddock like a thick fog. If it's not team orders or industrial espionage it's unsportsmanlike conduct between two rivals or the off-track behavior of some driver or FIA official. This year it's all about qualifying, with the new format introduced for the Australian Grand Prix already jettisoned in time for the next round in Bahrain. But as ridiculous as this video may seem, McLaren may just be onto something. The clip shows Jenson Button strapping himself into the cockpit of the latest McLaren-Honda, just as he would for any race. Only this time he's not starting from the grid or even the pit lane. This time the former world champion straps in for a computer-animated airdrop out the back of an RAF C-130. Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be the safest way to determine the starting order, at least not until those proposed new halos are installed (along with some beefier shocks). But suppose, just for a second, that instead of lining up according to the fastest qualifying times, F1 drivers hit the ground running after being airlifted and parachuted out of a cargo plane? After all, if the Stig could bungee-jump an F1 car, and drag racers can pack parachutes, why not skydive onto the grid with the engine running? It's not like the drivers can't handle the G forces, and it'd sure beat the classic Le Mans start where the drivers run across the track, jump into their cars, and get moving. Okay, fine. We're just kidding. Related Video: