McLaren W1 review

Frankly, I was a little worried for the McLaren W1. If you’re a fan of golf then you will have noticed that during the major championships the organisers often tend to group a promising amateur with a couple of the biggest names in the game for the first two rounds. You know it’s a huge honour for the youngster, a dream come true to be keeping such company, you know they might even have the longest drive of the group, but you fear for them being thrust into a megawatt spotlight with such superstars for close comparison.

And on the launch, in the garage at Mugello, McLaren had lined up the new W1 in front of a McLaren F1 (the famed XP5 prototype, no less) and a McLaren P1, arguably the greatest ever supercar and the first of the hybrid hypercar holy trinity. Those are quite some tyre tracks to follow.

It doesn’t help that the two older cars are both better looking than the W1. There is a real menace to the new car, particularly viewed from the rear three-quarters when you can see the scope of a massive 335-section Pirelli Trofeo RS. And I think some of the aero details are gorgeous when up close with the new anhedral doors. But viewed as a trio, the W1 can’t really hold an aesthetic candle to the P1’s beautifully lithe curves and the F1’s contained neatness.