The world’s most exclusive McLaren owner experience has taken to the track for the first time at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, as the debut McLaren P1 Driver Program event saw seven examples of the track-only model let loose. Each owner got behind the wheel, supported by a dedicated pit crew, around the home of Formula 1 in Spain.
Paul Mackenzie, Executive Director of McLaren Special Operations explained: ‘The McLaren P1 GTR has been a unique project, where the design and engineering teams were not limited to the restrictions of a roadcar or a set of race regulations. As a result, the car is a no compromise racer, focused on track performance.
A dedicated team of driver coaches supported the activities on track, led by McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver, Chris Goodwin. The team, boasting a strong racing career, worked closely with each driver to achieve the best results. Goodwin explained: ‘The performance of each driver, and the improvements made over the course of the three days on track showed how effective the driver training program in the build up to the event has been, and it proved to be a lot of fun! Every driver was close to the performance they showed on the simulator straight away, highlighting just how realistic the system is, and the bespoke nature of the program, ensured each driver was engaged with the training at their individual levels.’
The effectiveness of the coaching and team support for the drivers was highlighted with two owners proving extremely competitive after recently announced Driver Mentor, Bruno Senna, set a benchmark lap time to work towards.
Other locations on the debut McLaren P1 GTR Driver Program calendar include Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Circuit of the Americas (North America), Silverstone (UK), Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy), Red Bull Ring (Austria), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Bahrain International Circuit (Bahrain) and Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi).
More fun with the top down in the MINI Convertible Next Post:
WRC Spain Rally RACC Catalunya
