New McLaren W1 name confirmed as F1 and P1 successor’s reveal nears

McLaren has officially revealed the name of its next halo model, calling it the McLaren W1. This joins a storied lineage of groundbreaking hypercars that started with the iconic F1 in the early nineties, followed in 2013 by the P1. It’ll be revealed in full on 6 October at 13:00, with McLaren confident that this next generation model will be just as transformative as its previous models – possibly spurring on another arms race between the supercar elite just as it did 10 years ago.

The W1 name itself is derived from its success in the Formula One World Championship, aligning with the 50th anniversary of the team’s first title win in 1974 with Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel. 

McLaren Automotive’s chief executive officer, Michael Leiters commented on the name: “The McLaren W1 is defined by real supercar principles and is the ultimate expression of a McLaren supercar. Born of our rich racing history and World Championship mindset, W1 pushes the boundaries of performance and is worthy of the ‘1’ name. Like its predecessors the F1 and McLaren P1, W1 defines the rulebook of a real supercar.” 

We know little else about the new model as yet, although given the P1 launched the brand’s hybrid journey over a decade ago, the car that follows is very likely to feature at least some degree of electrification. Whether that’s a straightforward hybrid system, or something more complicated, remains to be seen.

One snippet from a teaser film (above) says the new ‘1’ car will be: “the next icon, the next benchmark. The best looking, sounding, performing… A ‘1’ car has to define a generation and absolutely be the pinnacle and representation of McLaren DNA.”

We’ll have to wait a little longer to see if McLaren has chosen to shoehorn in its tried-and-tested turbocharged V8, or if it’s decided to develop something completely new, with a hybrid system at its core.

Given its position at the top of McLaren’s road-car range, expect a heavy focus on aerodynamics and high-level Formula One-inspired engineering. The F1 and P1 represented the absolute peak of what the sports car maker was capable of at the time, and we expect the next ‘1’ model to be no different.

A driver-focused cabin with a minimalist dashboard is all but a given, although any specifics regarding layout and standard equipment remain under wraps for another couple of weeks.

But rumour has it that McLaren won’t be the only one with a new-era hypercar in the works, as leaked invitations have confirmed that Ferrari is also close to the reveal of a potential LaFerrari replacement. And while only a concept at this point, Porsche has also shown its hypercar development direction with the Mission X, signalling that a resurrection of the holy-trinity might just be about to begin. 

Are you excited to see the new McLaren W1? Let us know in the comments section below...