At today's launch of the new model, the company has also announced that the McLaren MP4-12C has been tested by the former and current Formula ! champions, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. The feedback from Hamilton's and Button's testing sessions has been used to fine tune the McLaren MP4-12C. The McLaren MP4-12C has been tested for around 1 million miles under extreme conditions going from -50°C to +50°C in the desert.
After testing the McLaren MP4-12C Button said: “The 12C is so easy to drive. Its cockpit is a nice place to be and really makes you feel at one with the car. The driving seat is very comfortable and the layout of the controls is completely logical. I like the fact that there’s no switchgear on the steering wheel.
You simply select the mode you want before you begin driving and after that there’s no need to concentrate on anything but the driving itself.
“The car’s dynamic capability is fantastic at both high and low speeds. Within just a few seconds, I felt really comfortable with the car – and after only a couple of laps I was able to begin to push it hard through the corners. Yet, even though I was pushing, I was amazed by the car’s great stability at high speeds. It’s very quick in a straight line, too. In fact, the biggest problem
with driving this car on a circuit is that sometimes you forget it’s a road car!”
On his part, Hamilton added: “The 12C is a real driver’s car; it delivered on all my expectations. The visibility is great from the driver’s seat. You really appreciate that in tight corners. I loved the McLaren F1 when I drove it and, like that car, the huge front windscreen of the 12C allows you to take in all the information needed for perfect lines through apex turns.
“It was clear when meeting the Automotive test
team that they share the same competitive focus as our race team. We’re obsessed with winning and we’ll do all we can to make sure that happens. If the 12C team say they are aiming to make the best performance car on the market, then I’m convinced that is what they will do.”
McLaren MP4 12C tested by Hamilton and Button video:
