McLaren MP4-X: F1 team reveals 'future of racing car'

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McLaren has revealed details and images of a stunning concept Formula 1 car which makes use of solar power, brain controls, and plasma flow.

The MP4-X concept is the work of McLaren Applied Technologies, and makes extensive use of electric propulsion, one of the division's primary areas of research.

"With the futuristic McLaren MP4-X concept race car, we wanted to peer into the future and imagine the art of the possible," said John Allert of the McLaren Technology Group.

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This radical vision of what the future may hold for Formula 1 comes at a time when fans feel the current cars aren't exciting, are too easy to drive and are not fast enough, claims Autosport.

The MP4-X does not use a conventional combustion engine, but relies on electric power for propulsion.

The way this is done is not conventional either, as McLaren says it would create 'thin batteries' fully integrated into the crash structure, rather than battery cells located in one specific area of the car. Power would be topped up by inductive loops in the track's surface.

The car also uses solar panels to capture energy alongside technology available on road cars today, like regenerative braking. This recuperated power can be used to supplement the on-board electronics, or used for a power boost.

The use of a canopy to create a closed cockpit is relevant to areas Formula 1 is currently exploring. In different conditions the glass can change light levels to suit the needs of the driver.

One of the more radical ideas behind the car is the use of 'negative-stiffness material structures' which not only reduce the force of impacts, but can remember and recover their original shape and properties.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"87764","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]

The MP4-X looks like a fighter jet, according to The Verge. The whole chassis is monitored by a system which reports on the car's structural condition for quick diagnostics and information for engineers, and the bodywork resembles a giant virtual billboard.

Traditional sticker liveries are replaced by digital advertising aimed towards specific individuals - so the car would look different to different people.

The MP4-X makes use of two banned Formula 1 technologies. Active aerodynamics - electronics which control the attack angle of the wings and dial out downforce when it isn't needed - and ground effect design, which uses aerodynamics to suck the car to the ground.

The rear wing uses 'powerfully charged electrodes' which turn the air flowing around them into plasma.

Other technological developments include enclosed wheel design, a vast number of tyre sensors for real-time tyre life data, systems which use the driver's brain patterns to operate controls, head-mounted augmented vision for a full 360-degree view of what's outside the car, and racing overalls which use smart-fabrics, loaded with sensors and able to display trauma areas in the event of an accident.

The technology showcased on the MP4-X is all real, but is either in very early development stages or unfeasible for use in racing because of cost, claims Autocar.

This is not the first ultra-futuristic concept car we've seen from a Formula 1 team. Back in 2010, Red Bull revealed the virtual X2010, which used many similar aerodynamic cues to the MP4-X.

Ferrari revealed an open cockpit version of its own vision of the sport's future in February this year.