McLaren P1 supercar review, test drive

McLaren P1 is claimed by the carmaker to be the most exciting car to drive in the world; we drive it at the Bahrain GP track.

Published on Feb 16, 2014 04:50:00 AM

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So, I drive it first on the track with the chassis set to normal and the powertrain set to track, and the boost system switched on. This gives the best throttle response and the quickest reactions from the gearbox but cuts power back to a mere 727bhp (pah!). In order to summon the full 903bhp you must press the iPAS (push to pass) button on the steering wheel, and you do that only when the car is pointing straight.

Out of the pit lane and on to the circuit proper, the P1's ride feels sporting but well damped, stiff but still compliant. The steering is light but super precise, much like that of the 12C, and the brake pedal feels deliciously firm underfoot, the stopping power total. Unlike Porsche and Ferrari, McLaren decided not to harness power to the batteries with regenerative braking because they wanted maximum feel through the pedal, at all speeds, and it shows from the very first time you hit the pedal.

Through the first few corners taken at speed there is no perceptible body roll but, instead, just lots of bite from the front end via the bespoke P-Zero Corsa tyres, with a correspondingly faithful reaction from the tail.

The first time I pedal it hard out of a corner, the rear tyres light up and the thing takes me completely by surprise. I actually think I'm about to turn it right round. But then the traction control does its business and saves me, and after that first hit, after that first glimpse into the monster's eyes, I learn to regard the P1 in a very different light indeed.

This is not, I rapidly conclude, a Big Daddy version of the 12C. It's a completely different animal. One that will chew you up, take you for a death roll for a while, then spit you back from whence you came. And that's in Normal Mode.

In Sport and Track Modes, the chassis responses get that little bit crisper, the steering that little bit more incisive, but to be honest, the differences are subtle. In Race Mode, well that's an entirely different prospect.

Because if you think the P1 feels like it's dialled up to 11 in Track Mode, in Race Mode, it goes to somewhere on the far side of 20. It feels like a totally different car as a result.

So what is it about Race Mode that transforms the P1 so dramatically? For starters, the ride height automatically drops by 50mm. That enormous rear wing also deploys so that you get a vaguely hilarious 600kg of downforce at 241kph. And on top of that, the suspension goes up at least two notches on the stiffness and response scales while the engine, if you deselect the boost function, delivers the full 903bhp and 91.8kgm all the time, and seemingly at the merest twitch of your right foot.