January 3rd, 2018

“New Year, New Season. One Team, one name.”, with those words and a dressed-in-black logo, the team originally named "Bruce McLaren Motor Racing" starts to write a new chapter in Formula 1 after parting ways from Honda.

The McLaren-Renault 2018 F1 team is no longer a promise but a reality.

The iconic Formula One team founded by the legendary New Zealander, Bruce McLaren in 1963, is synonymous with fast cars and racing heritage, but there´s more than speed in McLaren´s recipe.

The team achieved its first victory in Formula 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1968 meeting enormous success ever since, but not without going through difficult times on and off track.

However, the British team learned how to adapt to both, becoming a strategic piece of the high-technology McLaren Group based in Woking, UK.

The Group encompasses three divisions: McLaren Racing, McLaren Automotive, and McLaren Applied Technologies.

Back in September last year, McLaren Applied Technologies made international headlines after revealing “Project Invincible” to the world.

The project consisted of a revolutionary healthcare solution using 3D scanning, as well as technologies and materials applied to the McLaren Formula 1 car such as stiff carbon fibers or Zylon fibers.

The high-performance technology and design company started to work on the project from point zero to end developing a sophisticated device for therapeutic purposes.

The main goal: to improve mobility and protect the body of an undisclosed patient resulting in the “invincible shield” tailor-made for him.

“The Invincible shield is made from materials that will be in next year’s Formula 1 car,” stated at the time, Dr. Adam Hill, McLaren’s Chief Medical Officer.

The price of the shield has not been disclosed by the company, though it is estimated in a quarter of a million American dollars.

“Applied Technologies has a pedigree of applying insight and technology developed from decades of elite motorsport competition, and Project Invincible is no different,” “Our aim is to innovate healthcare solutions that can be tailored for individual patients,” Hill added.

“Our journey started with a one-to-one meeting with the client,” said project lead Dan Toon.

“We had to protect the vital organs of the body and augment the function of the rib cage but do it in such a way that the protected rib cage and structures within were contained,”

“Our client wanted their day-to-day experience improved, requiring it to be discreet beneath a shirt, for instance,” Toon said.

Innovation is key, McLaren knows and understands it, driving towards the technological path.

3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO A FORMULA 1 CAR

McLaren Formula 1 Racing took the initiative to bring major 3D printing technology to its Formula One´s car through an ongoing partnership with Stratasys, a global leader in 3D printing and manufacturing.

A range of possibilities opens up to engineers with the use of 3D printing technology applied to racing, allowing a team to create, design and test parts for a Formula 1 car, for instance.

“Formula 1 is one of the world’s best proving grounds for our additive manufacturing solutions,” said Andy Middleton, President of Stratasys EMEA.

“As the Official Supplier of 3D Printing Solutions to the McLaren Formula 1 team, we are working closely together to solve their engineering challenges in the workshop, in the wind-tunnel, and on the track,” Middleton added.

“We are consistently modifying and improving our Formula 1 car designs, so the ability to test new designs quickly is critical to making the car lighter and more importantly increasing the number of tangible iterations in improved car performance.” Neil Oatley, design and development director at McLaren Racing explained.

Back in September 2017 on its 22nd year, the TCT Show (one of the world's leading events focused on 3D manufacturing technologies) took place in the city of Birmingham, UK.

For the occasion, Stratasys showcased the 2017 McLaren Formula 1 race car and exhibited several applications used to improve car performance, including prototyping, tooling and final part production.

At the time, a talk titled ‘3D Printing in F1; Accelerating Design and Manufacturing Cycles for Improved Performance’ was held by Simon Roberts, Operations Director, McLaren Racing, explaining to visitors how the partnership brings innovation to F1.

Formula E - THE NEXT STEP INTO THE FUTURE

The second-generation of Formula E cars will have in McLaren Applied Technologies their exclusive battery supplier from Season 5.

Since Season 1 to date, the role is fulfilled by Williams Advanced Engineering unit.

“We’re delighted McLaren has been chosen by the FIA to be the sole supplier of batteries to Formula E. Our new battery will almost double the energy storage, eliminating the need for drivers to swap cars during a race,” stated Rodi Basso, Motorsport Director of McLaren Applied Technologies.