I'm sorry but I only see only one legitimate reason for McLaren not posting a 'ring lap time. Ron Dennis promised a record breaking car, McLaren was hinting at a sub 7 lap time. They rented out the track, got a helicopter(to videotape), brought EVO along with then and then they claim it isn't important. Seriously!! I mean come on McLaren you seriously can't be this dumb. This is a F1 company first and production car company second. Numbers specially lap times are very important to them. They celebrated the Top Gear track's 12C lap time with a huge cake with the lap tim listed on it(1 :16+). For them to claim they accomplished their goal but won't publish a number for safety sake is ludicrous and a very weak excuse! Btw, IMHO the Only winner so far is the 918. The 6:57 lap time is shockingly good and has helped their sales. McLaren is a big loser(so far) and Ferrari isn't done fully developing their Laugh....Oh Sorry LaF!
+1. Can't disagree with this. For McLaren, this is nothing short of a PR disaster. The safety story is pure unadulterated spin. The time doesn't exist and that's the only reason we don't have it confirmed. I only hope that McLaren go back to the Ring next year when the weather improves and set a proper publicised time. As for Ferrari - they don't have anything to prove because they have never made bold statements about Ring time mastery. So - net net, Porsche are laughing all the way to the bank, Ferrari own the bank, and McLaren are lost in space and spin. Can you sense my irritation?!
PR disaster is an understatement. Porsche succeeded where McLaren failed. I have to laugh at frefan and Peloton telling us that McLaren have something up their sleeves and we will get a time after Nick Trott specifically said that "the P1’s lap time would never be revealed". One theory I don't understand is the possibility that McLaren have chosen not to release the lap time in order to avoid a never-ending battle with Porsche? You're really clutching at straws now. Should McLaren prevent the BBC from airing the P1's Top Gear lap in the hope that it won't encourage other manufacturers to develop faster cars? And we can't forget the real concern for poor old Stig who's out there risking his life every week for the sake of marketing and entertainment. Maybe Nick Trott will talk about the cult of Top Gear lap times next month? Are you still pissed that Ferrari wouldn't sell you a LF and you had to settle for a P1? Thought so.
Its a lot faster for sure. In the sections I just witnessed it's tenth's faster than their competitors.
Personally I agree with everybody: McLaren failed miserably to get the time but in the end it´s not so bad because sooner or later this madness of the lap times will have to reach an end, like the HP wars.
The horsepower wars will abate while the technology wars get much stronger with smaller displacement forced induction, lighter materials/weight, and advances in battery/hybrid tech
The Macca got beat all around. Just a poor legacy left with a car that amounts to a pumped up 12-C... Sorry. The 918 stands out to me. Unique V-8, a lot of hybrid power, beauty, technology, spyder........ It may not be a CGT in the end, but it is special in this new direction for sure. It is likely it loses weight and gains power overtime. Thats just exciting. I hope they trade off on resale...... The 918 also had the most to lose. Remember they talked about under 800hp at first and really undersold it compared to the others. That hurt them upfront. It was a radical idea they had and they needed to make sure it worked together. I am so pleased I watched the development process, very cool they did it in the open. In the end it will have over 900hp and torque and be able to keep this power longer than the others. I bet build quality will far outpace that of the other two cars like the CGT before it..... Well done Porsche
So another Tuesday is slowly ending... no P1 time from dubai, I guess congratulations to Porsche are in order...
You may be disappointed, but the actual people buying these cars seem more than happy, and at the end of the day they are the ones that count.
This was from a different forum; Chris Harris unloads on the P1 and it's launch http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.pistonheads.com/news/28796.htm
so now Mac is echoing the same sentiments as Nick Trott. this is just getting sad. having this epiphany now? after ALL THAT FREAKING HOOPLA? ok. whatever.
That disappointed me too. Just say you have nothing to prove. Ferrari has gotten away with that approach for years. The Brits just aren't as comfortable doing 'cocky and confident' as those Italians. >8^) ER
I'm not a fan of the P1 (style-wise); but in theory it should own every track record. This ring thing - is real bizzare..... Kevin
Missed this earlier and I don't think I am guilty of what you suggest. I have said they have a time and even suggested it is a very good time, and I said I was looking forward to Tuesday (well two Tuesdays) but I have not, since reading the Trott piece, suggested that the P1's time would be released. Others did, but I really did not expect EVO to be that wrong, or McLaren to sell them out only days after they went to press. This was my only relevant comment since then and it's hardly an indication of them coming out with it - quite the contrary really. >8^) ER
End of the day only Porsche has the balls to publish their time. That is really all that should count - a verifiable record of the cars performance. All Mclaren is giving are excuses and fanboy rumour from a "good source" of what it could do. But of course they won't prove it......probably because they can't. Really disappointed in Mclaren. All drama instead of hard data. I have to say Porsche impressed the hell out of me with the 918. Over the last year all we heard was how it was the weaker of the triplets and then they just go out and lay down the smack. No drama, no rumours. And they do it on street tires with the car you can buy from the dealership. Hopefully the P1 and LaF pick up the challenge and give them a run. Competition can only make all the cars better.
Really can't believe that McLaren's phone call to EVO re: their last-minute decision to never release a 'Ring time went over as well as the article suggests. "Yea, so--about your bit on our P1--we're not actually releasing an official time." "But we drove to the 'Ring, lapped the 'Ring, shot at the 'Ring, and drafted our article at the 'Ring; after all that, you aren't going to give us the record breaking time ole Ron promised?" "Ahh...nope. But we'd still like you to run the piece anyway. Just insert something about us valuing driver safety and being above all the silliness that surrounds the unofficial competition of 'Ring times." "Sill--? Er, um--uh, sure. Right." **Hangs up phone, scratches head** In walks Bovington, and, in a very British and timely manner, says-- "Remember that old obsession I had with getting my E36 down to under 8 minutes at the 'Ring? What a waste of time. Should have just saved my pennies over the last three years for a down payment on a P1."