It’s no surprise to see McLaren focusing even more closely on performance for the P15. The Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One are in the process of redefining the hypercar market and, to compete, McLaren simply has to use a similar rulebook.

But here, I think the firm can afford to let its longstanding obsession with speed and lap times govern its approach. When creating cars with a broader dynamic brief, McLaren has learned that the concept of ‘how fast you go’ must be balanced against ‘how you go fast’. It’s important that the P15 is drivable and usable on the road, but most customers will expect it to be supremely singular of purpose.

Lightness will go a long way. The 250kg saving compared with a P1 should clearly be felt not just under acceleration but also under braking and during cornering — particularly if the car has a lower centre of gravity and even more downforce.

Knowing what the P1 was like to drive on the road, just the idea of a road car with even more grip and pace absolutely boggles the mind.  

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