Top Gear presenter Chris Harris has been really vocal about not liking the McLaren Senna. Specifically, it’s aesthetics.
McLaren has always defended their design as purely functional, maximizing the aerodynamic efficiency and downforce in order to make Senna the fastest road legal car around the track.
And fast it is. Even Harris admits the Senna sits in a different class from all other production McLarens out there. For a road legal car with road tires, it does a phenomenal job. It accelerates great. It brakes great. And, the car remains planted while changing direction both under heavy braking or acceleration.
In fact, the Senna is faster than most competitors – beating the Aventador SVJ, 488 Pista and 911 GT2 RS, as unofficially tested by McLarens’ own test driver.
However, is the McLaren Senna a real race car?
When Chris Harris heard the claims that the Senna was as fast as a GT3 car around the track, he was compelled to step in. Especially because he has been racing a McLaren 650S GT3 for three seasons under his team Garage 59. And, they finished second in the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Am.
McLaren Senna vs McLaren 650S GT 3 – which is faster?
Looking at the spec sheets, the Senna has more than 200 horsepower on top of the GT3 – 789hp vs 550hp.
It has an advanced aerodynamic package including the ridiculous active rear wing. The body generates 1,764 lbs of downforce at 155 mph. That’s 2/3rds of the car’s dry weight – 2,641 lbs.
The 650S GT3 has no stats to impress you with, other than the fact it’s a genuine race car.
It’s wider slick tires provide more grip. The brakes are stronger and more reliable. The suspension translates the loads with minimal damping – harder on car and driver, but much more stable and direct. It’s more balanced, negotiating turns with the correct amount of understeer/oversteer.
This combination of factors allows Chris Harris to push the GT3 more confidently, carrying more speed into the corners, braking harder and accelerating sooner than when driving the Senna.
The result is a 6.59-second difference. McLaren 650S GT3 lapped Silverstone in 02:02.268 minutes. McLaren Senna ran a hot lap in 02:09.277.
Surely, the experiment lacks scientific precision, yet there is clear supremacy of the GT3 over the Senna.