Motorsport

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

Ferrari Clinches 2025 World Endurance Championship at Season Finale in Bahrain-4

By Khris Bharath – November 09, 2025

Ferrari Dominates 2025 FIA WEC: Clinches Manufacturers’ a...

Ferrari has finally broken a 53-year dry spell in the most spectacular fashion. At the 8 Hours of Bahrain, in Sakhir this weekend, the Prancing Horse clinched both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, sealing a season that reestablished Maranello at the top of global endurance racing. Behind the wheel of the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi secured the Drivers’ crown with a fourth-place finish, while their teammates in the #50 car, Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, finished third. The privateer #83 Ferrari, driven by Yifei Ye, Robert Kubica, and Phil Hanson, came home fifth but still took second in the championship, giving Ferrari a clean sweep of the top three positions in the standings. Ferrari’s return to endurance racing only began three seasons ago in 2023, yet the 499P program has already delivered beyond expectations. The 2025 campaign included wins in Qatar, Imola, and Spa, plus a 1-2-3 sweep at Lusail to open the season. The factory cars scored 245 points, finishing 75 ahead of Toyota, which managed to salvage a Bahrain victory to avoid a winless season for the first time in a decade. For context, this is Ferrari’s first overall endurance world title since 1972, when the 312 P dominated the old World Championship for Makes. It’s also the brand’s first-ever overall Drivers’ title in endurance racing, since that award didn’t exist back in the 1970s. The win raises Ferrari’s endurance total to 24 world titles, with nine outright wins (1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1972, and now 2025). Pier Guidi and Calado now hold four personal championships, adding to their previous GT crowns in 2017, 2021, and 2022. AF Corse’s achievement extends beyond the factory team. The independent #83 squad won the 2025 FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams and a historic win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving Ferrari control of both works and customer honors. Even with Toyota’s late rebound and Manthey’s Porsche taking the LMGT3 titles, 2025 belonged to Ferrari. The 499P program not only delivered big, but has also revived the brand’s racing identity, linking its endurance success with its Formula 1 heritage. The last time Ferrari held a world title of any kind was the 2008 F1 Constructors’ crown and the last Drivers' title by Kimi Räikkönen back in 2007. Now, 17 years later, it’s back on top, this time on the global endurance stage. The wider WEC landscape is shifting fast. Porsche Works Drivers won the 2024 FIA WEC, but the factory Porsche Hypercar team will exit the championship, signaling a major realignment among top-tier entrants. However, with the FIA confirming its commitment to the Hypercar platform through 2032, encouraging even more luxury and exotic manufacturers to join Le Mans competition. Aston Martin entered the grid in 2025 as the lone non-hybrid contender, and several new entrants are on the horizon: Genesis in 2026, followed by McLaren and Ford in 2027. View All Ferraris For Sale " width="680"> Images: Ferrari

Two people wearing red Ferrari team shirts; one adjusts a black cowboy hat and sunglasses, the other speaks into a microphone during an interview.

By Khris Bharath – October 17, 2025

Austin Awaits: Leclerc and Hamilton Set the Tone Ahead of...

If you’ve been tracking the current Formula One season’s back-and-forth drama over the past 18 races, you know that The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin (round 19) promises to turn up the wick as part of F1’s growing American trilogy: Miami in May, Austin now, and Las Vegas closing out the year in November. McLaren has already sealed the Constructors’ crown in Singapore, but the Drivers’ fight is still alive, with only 22 points separating Oscar Piastri (336 points) and Lando Norris (314 points) ahead of an action-packed Sprint race weekend ahead of us. Austin marks the start of the final six rounds, and every lap of this Sprint weekend will count. Only one practice session on Friday, then straight into qualifying and parc fermé, preparation matters more than ever, and that’s exactly where Ferrari hopes to strike back. Leclerc, who turned 28 on Thursday, celebrated in Ferrari’s hospitality suite before getting back to business. Leclerc insists there’s more performance in the SF-25 than results have shown. “It’s not in my nature nor the team’s to ever give up. We’ll give it our all until the last lap of the last race, and I believe that even from the poor weekends, there’s something to learn. I also think the car’s potential is greater than it’s looked recently, and even though our rivals have undoubtedly made progress in terms of competitiveness, I’m convinced that if we manage to put everything together, a good result is within our reach.” As last year's race winner, he’s banking on preparation to pay off under the Sprint structure. “We’ll only have one free practice session, so those who have prepared best at the factory could have an advantage, and in the past, there have been times when we were the best prepared. If that’s the case here, it’ll be important to make the most of that opportunity.” That confidence ties back to Maranello’s factory simulations, which could play a bigger role than usual this weekend. Leclerc also referenced next year’s new technical cycle, signaling his intent to stay with Ferrari through the 2026 regulation shift. “There are a lot of rumours, but the truth is the same as I’ve always said, I’m in love with Ferrari, I want to win with the Scuderia, he said. Hamilton, on the other hand, looked relaxed as ever. The seven-time champion has always had a special connection with COTA. “This is my favorite weekend of the season,” he said during the FIA press conference. “The people, the food, the music, it feels like home.” The circuit has been kind to him, too, with five career wins in Austin since 2012. But Hamilton’s attention is firmly on the final six races of the season. “I think it’s important to stay focused and ensure we improve and learn all the time. Of course there are rumours flying around, but we just need to concentrate on what we have to do and I will be giving my all in the last six races. After Singapore, we had a meeting to analyse everything about the weekend. I think that even from that race there were a few positive insights to take away and if we can make good use of what we learned, we will get better results. Everyone at the track really wants a good result for the sake of all those working like crazy back in the factory. They really deserve it.” said Hamilton. Heat is the big headliner going into race weekend in Austin, which, for teams, combines with Pirelli’s Texas two-step, a compound jump to C1, C2, and C3. The gap between hard and medium is roughly a second per lap, pushing strategy toward a two-stopper if degradation spikes. Virtual Safety Cars are common here, and the two pit windows, which are around Lap 15 to 22 and again near Lap 34 to 40, could decide everything. Ferrari arrives at the U.S. Grand Prix sitting third in the Constructors’ standings with 298 points, behind McLaren (650 points) and Mercedes (325 points). Leclerc is currently fifth in the Drivers’ standings with 173 points, while Hamilton sits close behind in sixth with 125. Both need strong finishes in Austin to keep Ferrari’s momentum alive in the final stages of the 2025 season. For the fans, it’s a weekend where Texas heat, strategy chaos, and title tension will come together. View All Ferraris For Sale Images: Ferrari

A yellow race car crosses the finish line as a pit crew celebrates; below, a group stands on a podium holding trophies at a thrilling Le Mans racing event, with Ferrari and Porsche teams among the competitors.

By Khris Bharath – June 16, 2025

Ferrari Clinches Historic Third Straight Victory At Le Ma...

Under the June summer skies and in front of a record 332,000 spectators, Ferrari took its third consecutive victory at the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Giallo Modena liveried (#83) 499P, fielded by privateer squad AF Corse, outpaced its factory-backed contemporaries and took the top step of the podium, with a trio of drivers who are now firmly in the history books: Poland’s Robert Kubica, Britain’s Phil Hanson, and China’s Yifei Ye. Le Mans 2025: Porsche Closes In, But Ferrari’s (#83) Holds Its Nerve Kubica, who is a one-time Formula 1 winner, drove a staggering 43 percent of the race distance, including an unplanned five-stint finale. It was redemption for the Pole, who saw a throttle sensor deny him victory back in 2021 on the final lap, when racing in the LMP2 class. While he finished runner-up in 2022 and 2023, this year Kubica managed to control the race pace and traffic. For teammate Ye, the win was historic, as he became the first Chinese driver to do so, while for Hanson, it marked a return to the top, after his LMP2 Class win from 2020. Starting from 13th on the Hypercar grid, the yellow-liveried Ferrari wasn’t one of the favorites going into race weekend. They faced stiff competition from seasoned factory teams. The (#05) Porsche was quick to take the lead from Cadillac in the opening stints. The drama unfolded throughout the night on the nearly 8.5-mile circuit, with several close calls, punctures, retirements, and the flashing lights of Hypercars screaming past LMP2 and LMGT3 class cars down the Mulsanne straight. However, the following day, it was Kubica at the wheel of (#83) Ferrari AF Corse 499P who was 14.084 seconds clear of (#06) Porsche Penske 963 when the chequered flag fell. The hard-charging Porsche nearly upset Ferrari’s weekend. After being disqualified from qualifying, the (#06) Porsche 963 that started last, surged past the field over 387 laps with Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell demonstrating tremendous perseverance. Meanwhile, the Ferrari works teams, winners in 2023 (#51) and 2024 (#50), were forced into support roles following a series of penalties and a costly spin by Alessandro Pier Guidi. Despite this, (#51) secured third in the Hypercar class with teammates Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado, tightening Ferrari’s grip on the World Endurance Championship. (#50) Ferrari AF Corse in fourth and (#12) Cadillac Hertz Jota round up the top five in the Hypercar Class. The Prancing Horse now leads the manufacturer’s standings with 202 points, more than double Toyota’s tally. Elsewhere, heartbreak defined the LMP2 finale. A late penalty robbed Inter (#43) Europol Competition of what appeared to be a certain win for (#48) ORECA-Gibson, which was leading the LMP2 class. Inter Europol received a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which handed the advantage to Estaban Masson’s VDS Panis car; however, it faltered in the final 20 minutes of the race, owing to a mechanical issue. Nick Yelloly in the (#43) eventually took the lead and swept through, giving the Polish team its second win in three years. In LMGT3, it was Porsche that was the dominant force once again. Manthey Racing, the German marque’s racing partner from the Nürburgring, claimed back-to-back victories with Richard Lietz, Ryan Hardwick, and Riccardo Pera taking top honors in the (#92) demonstrating Porsche’s supremacy in GT racing. Ferrari’s Triumphant Comeback At Le Mans Is A Historic One This triumph adds a new chapter in Ferrari’s long-standing history at Le Mans. The Italian marque first conquered the French classic back in 1949 with Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon with the wheel of a 166MM, jumpstarting a golden age for Ferrari’s motorsport legacy. But Ferrari’s most dominant stint at Le Mans would come the following decade, where it won for six consecutive years between 1960 and 1965 with the iconic 250 LM. It was also the last Ferrari to win outright, as the Italian sports car maker withdrew from top-level endurance racing for nearly five decades as the rule changes that favored Ford’s dominant GT40s in the mid-to-late ‘60s. Ferrari shifted its attention and began to focus on Formula and production-based racing, But in 2023, Ferrari finally returned to Le Mans with the 499P in the Hypercar class, taking the win at the centenary edition of Le Mans, followed by another win in 2024. The win in 2025 makes it Ferrari’s third consecutive win, a feat. Not achieved since the 1960s, granting the Italian automaker the rare right to retain the winner’s trophy permanently. Other manufacturers that have three-consecutive Le Mans victories to their name include Bentley (1927–1930), Alfa Romeo (1931–1934), Jaguar (1955–1957), Ford (1966–1969), Porsche (1981–1987), Audi (2000–2002) and Toyota (2018–2020). While the competition will be back next year, vying for a win at Le Mans, 2025 belongs to Ferrari. Catch the full highlights below. " width="680"> Source: Ferrari, Porsche, FIA WEC

By Jordan Aquistapace – March 03, 2025

Scuderia Ferrari HP Kicks Off The 2025 F1 Season With A D...

Ferrari fans in Milan are in for a treat as Scuderia Ferrari HP gears up for a special event in the heart of the city on March 6th. Six years after their last big fan gathering in Milan, the F1 team is back with the Scuderia Ferrari HP Drivers’ Presentation by UniCredit, just ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will take center stage at Piazza Castello, alongside Team Principal Fred Vasseur, giving fans a chance to see them up close before the F1 season kicks off. The action starts in the afternoon, with fans welcomed to the square early to soak up the excitement. A DJ set will kick things off at 4 PM, setting the mood before the official presentation begins at 5 PM. On stage, two historic Ferrari F1 cars will add a touch of nostalgia while Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna and UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel sit down with Sky Sport’s Carlo Vanzini, Vicky Piria, and Ivan Capelli to discuss the upcoming season. Then, Team Principal Fred Vasseur will share his thoughts before Leclerc and Hamilton take the spotlight, answering fan questions and connecting with the Ferrari crowd. With a limited number of fans able to enter the square for safety reasons, the event is expected to fill up fast. But even if you can’t get in, you won’t miss the action—giant screens around the area will broadcast everything live, while Sky Italia and NOW will also air the event for viewers at home. With the 2025 F1 season just around the corner, this event is the perfect way to send Ferrari off in style and fuel the excitement for what’s to come on the track. Shop all Scuderia Ferrari HP fan gear by clicking the link below. Shop All Scuderia Ferrari HP Fan Gear Source: Ferrari

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