McLarens Clash on the Track: 720S Versus Senna

Senna, McLaren’s latest track monster, turns out stunning performance against the popular 720S.

The video above comes to us from the Autocar YouTube channel and it features a head-to-head track comparison between the McLaren Senna and the 720S on which the Senna is built. As a higher performance version of the 720S, we can expect that the Senna will be the better track car, but Autocar host and test driver Matt Saunders wanted to find out just how much better. The results are predictable, but that doesn’t make the on-track performance of either of these British supercars any less impressive.

Senna and 720S: The Specs

The McLaren Senna is a track-focused supercar that is based on the 720S. The Senna has a unique body with far-more-extreme aerodynamics, a unique suspension setup, bigger brakes, a package-specific carbon fiber monocoque chassis and more power. It is hard to quantify the aero, suspension, braking and chassis advantages, but for those who like hard numbers, here are a couple.

The Senna is powered by the same twin turbocharged V8 as the 720S, offering 789 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque while the 720S “only” offers 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. Also, while the Senna has a huge rear wing and added aero bits all of the way around, it weighs almost 200 pounds less than the 720S.

In short, the Senna has more power, weighs less, brakes harder and has more high speed downforce than the 720S, but what does that mean on the 2.1-mile Anglesey International Circuit?

Track Times

Before Saunders hit the track in each of the McLaren supercars, he points out that he has also tested the 570S and the 675LT Spider on this same track. The 570S ran a 1:37.9 and the 675LT ran a best time of 1:35.7, both of which Saunders was sure to smash with the newer supercars.

He takes to the track in the 720S first, turning in a respectable time of 1:33.65, beating the 675LT by more than two seconds. At that point, Saunders didn’t believe that the Senna could be all that much better, but he was wrong.

After hitting the track with the Senna and laying down a lap time of 1:31.35, he has nothing but good things to say about the car named after one of the greatest racing drivers ever. He points out that there is at least another second or two that could be cut by a better driver, but in the end, the Senna blew his mind.

“The (Senna) is just incredible and the forces it puts through your body; it’s like nothing I’ve ever encountered,” said Saunders. He went explained that unlike any car he has driven in the past, the Senna dares you to brake later and later into the turns, waiting to points where he expected to blow right through the turn, but the McLaren was happy to get slowed down in every situation.

“Getting to the bottom of the car’s staggering reserves of lateral grip, high speed stability and braking power; that’s a process in which I suspect you could be engaged for years.”

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

Join the 6SpeedOnline forums today!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com