McLaren gives a glimpse of the future of F1 with New MP4-X

McLaren reveals first look at the future of Formula One with its avant-garde, advanced technology MP4-X.

"With the futuristic McLaren MP4-X concept race car, we wanted to peer into the future and imagine the art of the possible," said McLaren Technology Group Brand Director John Allert in a report by Formula 1. "We have combined a number of F1's key ingredients - speed, excitement and performance, with the sport's emerging narratives - such as enclosed cockpits to enhance driver safety, and hybrid power technologies."

According to Wired UK, the new car has a protective canopy and a morphing chassis that can return to its original shape after a crash. It's augmented cockpit has a head-up display that looks more like a jet fighter. The technologically advanced car has a system that operates depending on the driver's brain waves through direct brain mapping.

The car can also predict when blow-outs are about to happen and its driver biotelemetry send biological information from the racer's suit to the crew to show the wearer's condition.

CNET reported that MP4-X uses battery technology just like the current F1 cars. However, this car has its batteries inside its crash structure. The car has solar panels and coil that charges as it runs over couplings on the track. This allows the batteries of the car to keep on charging.

Electricity is used for its active aerodynamics system with electrodes managing the downforce when necessary. Its body panels can physically respond to electric current. The driver's helmet has augmented-reality display that gives the wearer a vision through  the canopy, which also adjusts to the harsh light.

McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT) market development director Jim Newton said, "Clearly all the things we have highlighted on the vehicle are not fully resolved solutions today, but this wasn't the brief -- it was to look beyond into a possible future. However, the truth is that we are already using some of this technology, for example battery packs as structural elements in the bodywork."

If these technological features make their way to the Formula 1, McLaren MP4-X will prove to be the car of the future in the Grand Prix.