MCLAREN W1 – THE SUPERCAR SET TO REDEFINES THE LIMITS, NOW PROVEN AT SILVERSTONE
When McLaren announced the W1 earlier this year, it sounded almost too wild to be real. A car that embodies the spirit of the legendary F1, adds the hybrid punch of the P1, and then pushes the boundaries even further. Now, with the W1 storming Silverstone as part of its brutal development programme, we can safely say it’s more than headline figures and marketing spin. This creation is a rolling demonstration of McLaren’s obsession with pure performance. The W1 has been described by McLaren CEO Michael Leiters as “the fastest, most exhilarating road car we’ve ever built.” Bold words, but when you unpack the spec sheet, they hold water. At its core is the brand-new MHP-8 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, paired with an advanced E-module in a high-performance hybrid setup. The numbers border on sci-fi: 683 kW from the V8, 255 kW from the e-motor, for a combined 938 kW and 1,340 Nm, all funnelled to just the rear wheels via an E-differential and 8-speed transmission.
That translates to a power-to-weight ratio of 670 kW/tonne, making it the most powerful road-legal McLaren ever. On paper, it’ll hit 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds, 200 km/h in 5.8, and smash past 300 km/h in under 12.7. But Silverstone has now shown that the W1 isn’t just a number-chaser – it’s a car built to take that violence and channel it into something usable, controllable, and utterly addictive.
Behind the wheel at Silverstone was McLaren test driver Gareth Howell, who has been part of honing some of the brand’s most extreme machines. “At Silverstone, we’ve been able to further fine-tune the W1’s balance. The car’s performance and control are simply next level,” he said after pushing the prototype around the historic British circuit. Each lap was a chance to dial in the car’s already obsessive engineering - from the razor-sharp steering to the active aero that makes rear-wheel drive not just possible, but preferable at these insane power levels.
McLaren has doubled down on lightweighting and motorsport-grade components to ensure the W1 can keep up with its own fury. The Carbon Ceramic Racing+ (MCCR+) brake system uses 390 mm discs with an extra ceramic layer for strength and endurance, giving it stopping power to match its acceleration - 100 km/h to zero in just 29 metres, and 200 km/h to standstill in 100 metres flat. Six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers provide the kind of bite normally reserved for top-tier race cars.
The W1’s aerodynamics are straight out of Formula 1 thinking, too, with airflow management that’s been tested in wind tunnels and now proven on track. At speed, the car doesn’t just cut through the air, it manipulates it - generating downforce that works in harmony with the rear-drive layout to keep things planted, even when the torque figure looks like it could unstick tarmac. Silverstone isn’t the only stop on the W1’s world tour of development, but it’s a fitting stage. This is a circuit that’s played host to some of motorsport’s most iconic moments, and now it’s where McLaren’s most extreme road car has begun showing its true potential. Every run, every tweak, every line through Copse or Maggots-Becketts is another step closer to final production – and another hint at what owners can expect when deliveries begin. The McLaren W1 is a celebration of everything the brand stands for: obsessive engineering, a refusal to compromise, and an unfiltered connection between driver and machine. It’s the rebirth of the analogue thrill in a hybrid era, a road car that’s as happy obliterating lap records as it is turning a motorway slip road into a drag strip. With Silverstone now ticked off, the message is clear: the W1 isn’t just aiming to be the most powerful McLaren ever. It’s out to be the most complete driver’s car the brand has ever built.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the very British McLaren W1 getting in some all-important track test time. Where else than at the most British racetrack there is - Silverstone. This is one wicked car, is that what the W stands for?: McLaren W1 - Silverstone Dynamic Testing | McLaren Automotive
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