In order to compete at the highest levels of motorsports, racing teams like McLaren must be constantly innovating and trying to predict the future. This goes well beyond just the next season of racing too, as the technologies needed to race in Formula One often take years to develop and even longer to predict, and not every technology turns out to be worth the effort (looking at you Tyrrell P34).

Then there are ideas like the McLaren MP4-X Concept, a transforming Formula One car that we can only hope makes it to the race track, some day.

Banish from your mind thoughts of robots in disguise though, as this concept is purely about motorsports competition. While merely a virtual concept meant to pierce the veil of future Formula One competition, it brings to the table a futuristic body that can alter its shape mid-race for the best possible aerodynamics. Harnessing unspecified alternative fuel sources, the MP4-X concept can even “talk” back to the driver, inspiring visions of sarcastic Pontiacs and early 80s Hasselhoff.

“With the futuristic McLaren MP4-X concept racecar, we wanted to peer into the future and imagine the art of the possible”, said John Allert, Group Brand Director of the McLaren Technology Group. “We have combined a number of F1’s key ingredients – speed, excitement and performance, with the sport’s emerging narratives – such as enclosed cockpits to enhance driver safety, and hybrid power technologies.”

The closed cockpit and enclosed wheels both speak to higher speeds than current Formula One competition, and McLaren’s vision of more integrated hybrid drivetrains is probably right on the money. Even the transforming race car schtick, though it may seem far-fetched now, is well within the realm of possibility using today’s available technology. It’s just a matter of regulations catching up with the time. Until then, McLaren can only do its best to predict the future of Formula One with concepts like the MP4-X.