McLaren P1 Laps 'Ring But Refuses to Give Time

McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
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has released a new video showing off the P1McLaren P1United Kingdom, 2013 > present26 photos
lapping the Nürburgring from a few months ago, but it has made a grave error. Rather than announcing the car’s actual lap time around the 20.8km racecourse, all McLaren will say is that the car’s fastest lap was sub-seven minutes. It refuses to give an actual lap time like its competitors have.

Other than this oversight, the cinematography and sound of the video are fantastic. McLaren drove the prototype P1 codenamed XP2R for the lap in Race mode, which fully extends the rear wing to 300mm and a 50mm lower ride height. Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin drove the lap.

“The track is like the rollercoaster from hell. However, the car feels balanced and poised throughout, and inspires you to push on with the levels of grip and all-round ability,” said Goodwin.

He predicts that the gear change is made every six seconds during the lap, and he used the DRS button on the steering to trim the wing to zero degrees for every straight.

The problem with not announcing the time is that it makes comparison impossible. Comparing Nordschleife lap times is dubious to begin with because of different drivers lapping the track in different conditions, it gives enthusiasts that will likely never get to drive these car a metric for comparison beyond just 0-100km/h times.

There is no doubt that the McLaren P1 is a modern hypercar. It can hit 300km/h (186mph) in less than 17 seconds and has a top speed of 350km/h (217mph), but do not deny auto enthusiasts a lap time.