As stated before Fifth Gear aired the world’s first TV test of the brand new McLaren MP4-12C yesterday. Jason and Tiff tested it against the Ferrari 458 Italia at the Top Gear test track, one of the test tracks of the McLaren.
Via one of our readers we found the episode on YouTube and we embedded it below together with some additional bonus material. After looking at all four videos, the Brits have a problem, because to get the best out of it, “you have to drive it the way McLaren programmed it”, and both did not seem to be matched up with the British sports car. The final statement by the presentators says it all:
There can only be one winner and it is a clear winner; the Ferrari!
Another win for the Italian! It is 0-2. Let’s wait and see what the guys at Top Gear will say…
I bet they popped a champagne in the Ferrari factory today.
McLaren was a like a dog. “ALL bark but no BITE!” Ferrari is the damn best.
The problem is ferrari are known to tune test cars well above and beyond the abilities of a regular vehicle before they lend them out for tests like this. I wonder if the mclaren was similarly tuned.
The ferrari was prob tuned, but maybe not, maybe ferrari have learnt a lesson and realise were not all stupid. But as a car it seemed they liked it more, if only to do drifting in. But when they lost it and put it on the grass that wasnt good ..at all. For the money these two cars cost and the speeds they can do you would want TOTAL confidence in the car when driving and sadly, despite Maclaren bigging this car up as the best car in the world ever, it doesnt appear to drive very well compared to the ferrari.
Maybe Mclaren will evolve this car and come back with a better handling one.