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Surprise! McLaren and Honda finally call it quits

It's been coming for a long while, so it should surprise no one to learn that McLaren and Honda have finally called it quits. Sources confirmed to Motorsport.com and Sky Sports that the two companies have finally settled on a deal that will end a partnership that has been nothing but heartache and tears. McLaren has reportedly inked a three-year deal to use Renault engines, ending in 2020 along with the current engine regulations. This also means McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is likely to extend his contract beyond the end of this season. When Honda first announced it was returning to F1 with McLaren, fans had visions of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button reliving the glory days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the late 1980s. The truth couldn't be further removed. At points, McLaren has struggled to make it the full race distance, much less win races and fight for championships. Frankly, it's been embarrassing for both Honda and McLaren. No one comes out a winner here. Honda has sullied any reputation it had in F1, while Alonso's talent and McLaren's engineering expertise were both wasted the past few seasons. According to Motorsport.com, McLaren will get the same engine parity as the factory Renault Sport team as well as Red Bull Racing. Assuming that McLaren can provide a competitive chassis, that should vault it at least into the middle of the pack. Team principal Zak Brown hasn't been quiet about his frustrations. After both McLaren drivers failed to finish in Italy, Brown told Sky Sports, "We need to get more competitive. This weekend showed we're not making any significant progress." Meanwhile, Toro Rosso will switch from Renault to Honda power, with Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz Jr. making the move to Renault. What that means for Red Bull's junior team is unclear. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2016 Honda Pilot earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ score

The 2016 Honda Pilot earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating after tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The crossover scored the agency's top Good score in all five evaluations, including the often tricky small-overlap frontal crash. The latest results give the 2016 Pilot the highest possible results from both NCAP and IIHS. In the small-overlap frontal crash, there were only four inches of intrusion in the passenger compartment, and the airbags did their job of protecting the dummy's head. Sensors showed a low risk of significant injuries. In comparison, the IIHS gave the 2015 Pilot Good scores in four tests, but the CUV had a Poor rating, the agency's lowest, in the small-overlap test. The optional Honda Sensing suite of safety functions put the Pilot over the top for the + score, and the tech earned a superior rating from the IIHS. The system combines a windshield-mounted camera and radar behind the grille and is available on the EX trim and above. It includes collision mitigating braking, a forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and road departure mitigation. Related Video: All-new 2016 Honda Pilot Earns a 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ Rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Aug 21, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. 2016 Pilot offers the most comprehensive set of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies ever available on a Honda vehicle Available Honda Sensing™ suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies combines camera and radar systems to help detect vehicles, pedestrians and roadway markings Honda's aims to reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities involving its vehicles, using Honda Sensing™ technology The fully redesigned 2016 Honda Pilot (automobiles.honda.com/pilot/) has received a 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when equipped with optional front crash prevention, bringing Honda one step closer to fulfilling the company's goal to be the first three-row mainstream SUV with the highest available U.S. government (NCAP) and IIHS safety ratings. This IIHS distinction includes a top rating of GOOD in five IIHS crash test modes including a top score of GOOD in the Insurance Institute's stringent small overlap frontal crash test.

McLaren MP4-X concept shows innovation won't die in F1's future [w/video]

Despite things like turbocharging and kinetic-energy recovery, today's Formula One cars look more or less like the ones that lapped the world's race tracks 20 years ago. Sure, they're much more aero intensive, but the basic look is the same. McLaren, which probably had some serious free time this season considering its misfortunes, has imagined a futuristic F1 car that adopts many innovative and somewhat controversial additions. It's called the McLaren MP4-X, and the most obvious change is the closed cockpit. The death of Jules Bianchi, the accidents involving Maria De Villota and Felipe Massa, and even the death of Ayrton Senna could have all potentially been avoided by adopting a strong closed-cockpit design, like the one advocated here by McLaren. It's also worth pointing out that this design is a boon for aerodynamics. Inside that cockpit, drivers would enjoy an augmented reality display system, sort of like that used by F-35 Lightning II fighter pilots. There'd also be an independent head-up display that McLaren claims could be used to transmit info about race position and flag status. So basically, the kind of data you'd get playing Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo. Speaking of safety, the MP4-X's entire chassis, beyond the closed roof, would be far safer thanks to the use of "negative-stiffness material structures." Essentially, these materials can soak up the force of an impact and then bounce, for lack of a better term, back into shape. And if you're thinking like we are, this sounds like McLaren wants 900-horsepower bumper cars. Of course, 900 hp is speculation on our end. McLaren is deliberately vague on the powertrain of this concept. Advanced hybrid powertrains aren't surprising, although the team's mention of inductive, wireless charging on tracks sounds like the stuff of Formula E's dreams. In a move that McLaren says "tears up the rulebook," the MP4-X would see a return of ground effects. The underbody would feature enormous venturi tunnels to suck the car to the track. Alongside active aerodynamics that tweak the its shape for turns and straights, this concept McLaren would be both more slippery and offer more downforce than today's cars. There's a lot more on the MP4-X concept than we can talk about here, so head over to McLaren Honda's official website for all the nitty gritty details on this car's advanced systems, including solar cells, advanced tire sensors, and even virtual logos. It all sounds very, very cool.