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Worst Car Interiors of 2020: McLaren, Corvette, Lotus, Nissan, Fiat

This is not a list of bad cars.

The Chevrolet Corvette, the McLaren 570S, and Lotus Evora, for example, are among the most athletic, fun-to-drive vehicles on the market today.

But the ability to provide a thrilling experience from behind the wheel doesn’t mean a car sailed through the interior design portion of the test. Engineering prowess doesn’t always transfer to the cabin. Pity the afterthought! Much more than things to drive, cars have become the spaces in which we work, preen, eat, nap, detox, and even learn. A good interior, from driver’s seat to backseat, facilitates all that. A bad one actively gets in the way.

The interior of a car, in fact, is the most critical element of the entire driving and riding experience. It’s the only place where the body (hands, feet, back, legs) actually connects with the vehicle. The comfort of the space, the convenience of

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Car
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McLaren Hybrid Confirmed For 2021, New Electrified Platform Revealed

McLaren unveils all-new, innovative lightweight vehicle architecture

Mike Flewitt, CEO of luxury supercar maker McLaren Automotive, today confirmed the introduction of the brand’s all-new, flexible, lightweight vehicle architecture which will underpin its next generation of electrified supercars.

The new architecture, designed specifically to accommodate new hybrid powertrains, has been entirely engineered, developed and produced in-house in the UK at McLaren’s £50m state-of-the-art McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in the Sheffield region.

The new flexible vehicle architecture utilises innovative, world-first processes and techniques to strip out excess mass, reduce overall vehicle weight, while also further improving safety attributes.

It will underpin the next generation of McLaren hybrid models as the supercar company enters its second decade of series vehicle production.

The first new McLaren hybrid supercar to be based on the all-new architecture will launch in 2021.

“The new ground-breaking vehicle architecture is every bit as revolutionary as the MonoCell chassis

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Vehicle
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McLaren debuts new platform to underpin future hybrids

  • McLaren just introduced an all-new platform that’s meant for its upcoming generation of hybrid cars.
  • The first McLaren hybrid supercar to use that platform will launch in 2021.
  • McLaren will stop building traditional engines that rely on gasoline by 2030, according to the Financial Times.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Boutique British automaker McLaren has only ever made two hybrid models. The first was the P1 in 2013. Only 375 were made. The second was the Speedtail in 2018. Only 106 were built. Since then, it’s been gasoline all the way. But that’s about to change.

On Tuesday, McLaren introduced an all-new platform intended to underpin its upcoming generation of electrified supercars. Designed specifically for future hybrid powertrains, the new carbon-fiber platform will ensure the cars are lightweight and safe. McLaren said the first hybrid supercar built on the platform will launch next year. 

The new architecture is

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Vehicle
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McLaren “second strongest force” in F1 Italian GP



a sign on the side of a road: Seidl: McLaren

© LAT Images
Seidl: McLaren

Andreas Seidl says McLaren was the second most competitive Formula 1 team behind Mercedes in the Italian Grand Prix and could have got a better result in a “normal” race.

In a dramatic Monza event punctuated by a safety car and a red flag, Carlos Sainz Jr finished a close second to Pierre Gasly, while Lando Norris crossed the line in fourth place.

However in the early laps Sainz and Norris ran second and third behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, and McLaren team principal Seidl says that they would have finished in those positions without the dramatic race incidents which flipped the order at the front.

He added that even if Valtteri Bottas had not suffered problems with lost performance, McLaren had the pace to finish third and fourth.

“A very short period of disappointment,” said Seidl when asked by Autosport if he had

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Automotive
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Alonso provided “two-way exchange” to help Arrow McLaren SP at Indy 500

Double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso’s previous Indianapolis 500 experience provided a “two-way exchange” within the Arrow McLaren SP team to help improve set-up, according to Robert Wickens.

With Alonso returning to the Brickyard this year for this third attempt at the Indy 500, aiming to secure the triple crown of motorsport, he teamed up with Arrow McLaren SP as the third driver alongside regulars Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew.

Given O’Ward failed to qualify for last year’s Indy 500, missing out alongside Alonso, while Askew was a rookie, it meant he came into the race as the team’s most experienced driver at the event having made his debut in 2017.

As a result, Wickens says Alonso provided valuable set-up feedback to the team from his previous experiences, while O’Ward and Askew could offer insight racing with the aeroscreen.

“He has a lot of useful experience in motorsports, even

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Automotive
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Alonso provided “two-way exchange” to help Arrow McLaren SP at Indy 500 – IndyCar

Double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso’s previous Indianapolis 500 experience provided a “two-way exchange” within the Arrow McLaren SP team to help improve set-up, according to Robert Wickens.

With Alonso returning to the Brickyard this year for this third attempt at the Indy 500, aiming to secure the triple crown of motorsport, he teamed up with Arrow McLaren SP as the third driver alongside regulars Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew.

Given O’Ward failed to qualify for last year’s Indy 500, missing out alongside Alonso, while Askew was a rookie, it meant he came into the race as the team’s most experienced driver at the event having made his debut in 2017.

As a result, Wickens says Alonso provided valuable set-up feedback to the team from his previous experiences, while O’Ward and Askew could offer insight racing with the aeroscreen.

“He has a lot of useful experience in motorsports, even

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Automotive
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McLaren F1 team can’t underestimate Ferrari’s ability to “strike back” – F1

McLaren cannot afford to underestimate Ferrari’s ability to “strike back” despite its current Formula 1 struggles, according to team principal Andreas Seidl.

McLaren moved up to third place in the constructors’ championship at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix after Lando Norris finished the race in seventh place.

The result lifted McLaren above Racing Point and extended its advantage over fifth-placed Ferrari, who failed to score any points and spent just five laps with a car inside the top 10.

Ferrari has struggled for form through 2020 so far amid aerodynamic issues with its SF1000 car and a lack of straight-line speed from its power unit.

With this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix set to be a difficult one for Ferrari-powered teams given the high-speed nature of the track, it gives McLaren an opportunity to widen the gap to the Italian marque in the constructors’ standings.

McLaren F1 chief Seidl is anticipating

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Automotive
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Wickens on O’Ward, Askew, Alonso and the rise of Arrow McLaren SP

It has escaped no IndyCar fan’s notice that in 2020 Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet has effectively leap-frogged Andretti Autosport-Honda into The Big Three to become a regular threat to Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske. We’ve grown used to seeing Pato O’Ward and, almost as often, Oliver Askew running in the top five, and as Pato O’Ward remarked after his double-podium weekend at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway, “Our win will come.” Providing state government approves IndyCar’s plan for Mid-Ohio’s double-header on Sept. 12-13, the team has actually reached the stage where it would be a shock to see the handsome orange and black cars qualify on, say, the seventh row rather than the first, second or third.

Closely observing the team’s progress has been Arrow McLaren SP’s driver advisor Robert Wickens, the shooting star from 2018 who had his career put on ice by that dreadful accident at Pocono. Just

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Automotive
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McLaren awaiting analysis of Sainz PU that caused F1 Belgian GP DNS – F1

McLaren is waiting for Renault to analyse the failure on Carlos Sainz Jr’s Formula 1 power unit to find out the exact cause of the issue.

Sainz was prevented from starting Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix after reporting an issue with his power unit en route to the grid, forcing him out of the race.

McLaren confirmed there had been an issue on Sainz’s power unit which had caused an exhaust failure, leaving the Spaniard on the sidelines.

Team principal Andreas Seidl said that McLaren needed to wait on analysis from engine supplier Renault to find out whether or not the power unit could be salvaged, or if Sainz would require a fresh one for the Italian Grand Prix.

“We need to wait for the analysis on the Renault side on the specific issue,” Seidl said.

“In the end we saw it was an internal issue on the power unit side,

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Automotive
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Di Resta on standby for McLaren at F1 70th Anniversary GP – F1

Paul di Resta will be on standby at McLaren for this weekend’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone after undergoing a seat fitting for the team on Wednesday.

McLaren has an agreement with Mercedes to share its reserves – Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez – should regular drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. or Lando Norris be ruled out of the race weekend.

But with Vandoorne in Berlin for the Formula E season finale and Gutierrez ineligible to race, McLaren has confirmed that ex-Force India driver di Resta will be its nominated reserve for this weekend.

“As we have previously confirmed, we have an arrangement with Mercedes to use their reserve drivers in the event either Carlos or Lando are unable to race,” a statement from McLaren reads.

“With Stoffel Vandoorne unavailable due to his Formula E commitments and Esteban Gutierrez currently not eligible for a superlicence, Paul di Resta will be

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Automotive