Which car will win?
It is no surprise that both the McLaren Senna as well as the McLaren 720S are extremely capable machines. Which one is faster? Nico Rosberg, Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, decided to stop wondering and raced the two beasts at the Dubai Autodrome in a drag race.
The McLaren 720S may be impressive, but the Senna is a completely different beast. The Senna’s main feature is its massive downforce (1,700 pounds at 155 mph) which it produces. It is also the embodiment of “race car with number plates”, thanks to its semi-slick tires.
The 720S is still a capable package. Although it may not have the same amount of downforce and mechanical grip as the Senna’s, the 720S can still get on the ground. It is impressive to see 710 horsepower (529 Kilowatts) in a car that weighs 2,914 pounds (1.322 kilograms).
Surprisedly, Rosberg’s Senna lost the first drag race. Rosberg thought about the outcome and realized that semi-slick tires on Senna were not hot enough to grip the asphalt properly.
Before the next race, the F1 world champion began to heat the Senna’s tires. After some hard accelerations and donuts, the tires were hot enough to go and the Senna was ready for the start. The tires connected at the start of the second drag race and the Senna won the race.
Rosberg did some laps in the Senna as well as the 720S after the drag races. Rosberg was amazed by the Senna’s grip and braking performance. It was a racecar-like experience that he couldn’t stop referring too. Even the world champion described its rear grip as “unreal”
Rosberg was still awed by the 720S even after piloting the Senna. Rosberg was impressed most by the braking performance, just like the Senna. Both cars have gravity-defying acceleration thanks to active aerodynamics. Rosberg was impressed by the 720S’s performance in corners, even though it didn’t have the same front grip as the Senna.
The McLaren Senna finished four seconds faster than the 720S. Its performance is remarkable considering that the 720S was on road tires. We would love to see another video featuring identical tires on both vehicles.