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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I drove the P1 first on the roads in and around the circuit of Bahrain, and then on the GP track itself, albeit for just a few brief laps. On the road, the first impressions are of a car that feels remarkably like a McLaren 12C. Which is either a good thing if you've never driven a 12C before or, initially, a mild anti-climax if you have.

The driving position and cabin architecture are both instantly familiar while the driver's seat - though more supportive than a 12C's - clamps you in position in exactly the same way, behind a steering wheel that is again different in its detail design but which looks and feels familiar.

The longer you spend behind the P1's multi-adjustable wheel, however, the more obvious the differences between it and its baby brother become. There are, in fact, lots of extra buttons on both the dash and the steering wheel, many of which control the car's hybrid system but also its "push to pass" feature and Drag Reduction System when in Track Mode.

There's also an extra depth of sound from the twin turbo V8, even when you give it just the gentlest of prods in a high gear. Likewise, the dual clutch gearbox feels snappier and more responsive in all of its various drive modes.

And best of all, again only to begin with, is what happens when you press the "E Mode" button on the dash. The moment you do, the V8 dies and you are left with the spooky but rather wonderful realisation that you can drive the P1, all 903bhp of it, while making no noise whatsoever. You can't do that in a 12C.

The P1 is not ultimately a car to be driven slowly, however, even if its electric power source does provide it with a hit of throttle response that a straight turbocharged car couldn't hope to replicate. Instead it's about going fast - really, really fast - and this is something it can do with varying degrees of madness depending which mode you choose to drive it in. Which probably sounds a little bit digital but which is, in practice, anything but.

What the car's various drive modes allow you to do is build up gradually to a point where you can begin to work out what it can do ultimately. Were you to just stick it in Race Mode and let rip, I'd say 90 percent of even quite competent drivers would fall straight off on the first lap. The P1's potential to reach the horizon that much quicker than you imagine really is that great. Initially, the car is pretty hard to get your head round.