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McLaren Senna
INNOVATION MASTERCLASS
ADVANCED AERODYNAMIC EFFECTIVENESS
These elements have always been essential to the driver fully exploiting the absolute performance of the McLaren Senna. Extensive use of carbon fibre ensured that this was the lightest McLaren since the iconic F1. With revolutionary suspension developed from the McLaren P1™, Senna generates race car-beating levels of downforce. While the chassis is tuned to communicate so vividly with the driver that they can unlock all the immense performance potential.
The McLaren Senna produces up to 800kg of downforce. This incredible figure was made possible by the active front aero blades and active rear wing – the keys that unlocked such extreme aerodynamic performance. This innovative active aero design harnesses air flow, optimises vehicle balance and keeps the aerodynamic window as broad as possible. As a result, the driver can push closer and closer to limits that get higher and higher as speed increases. Driver confidence grows, allowing them to brake later, carry more speed into corners and get back on the throttle earlier. It’s an intoxicating balance.
The McLaren Senna combined all of McLaren’s knowledge up to the time of its development – creating next generation world-beating suspension. RaceActive Chassis Control II (RCC II) was designed to generate and manage exceptionally high aerodynamic loads – and create uncompromising track performance. RCC II allows the McLaren Senna to be driven on the road in relative comfort. However, select Race Mode and it will deliver astonishing lap times – with levels of downforce never seen before in a road car. Alongside roll stiffness that compares with a GT3-specification racer. A set up that is the very definition of ‘no compromise’.
The all-carbon fibre body is incredibly light and has the immense structural rigidity needed to perform under the extreme aerodynamic forces encountered at high speeds on track. At 150mph, under massive aero loads, the front splitter deflects less than 10mm. The rear wing is equally impressive, and carbon fibre construction allows it to support more than 100 times its own weight in downforce. Both the roof-mounted ‘snorkel’ intake and the intake plenum above the engine are pure carbon fibre – lowering the Senna’s centre of gravity.
The total weight of every single interior component is less than 60kg. Each individual super-lightweight carbon fibre racing bucket seat was constructed using stiffer and lighter double-skin shell technology. At 3.35kg, McLaren’s engineers delivered a 33% weight reduction compared with using conventional carbon fibre processes. While 475g was saved on each seat by using seven individual paddings on high pressure points – instead of a complete foam layup.
McLaren’s legendary pursuit of weight reduction is everywhere on the Senna. The unique paint colour of Calibre Black was a lightweight paint specially formulated to reduce the volume of liquid needed. Parts often ignored or taken for granted were reassessed – in keeping with the singular focus of the car. The licence plate plinth can be specified with a quick-release option that uses lightweight magnets. This minimises the number of fixings needed and requires no tools for swift removal at the track. A lightweight lithium-ion battery came as standard.
The drive of the team behind the McLaren Senna was relentless. Inexhaustible. Having met their weight targets, they committed to a further 5% reduction – hunting out every last gram of possible savings. The doors on the Senna are less than one third of the weight of the Dihedral Doors on series-production McLarens. A rear fender pane weighs just 2.87kg. Benchmarked against the first Ultimate Series, the weight of an individual rear light has been reduced by 50% to a single kilogram.
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