There was much surprise and delight at Hampton School when hundreds of boys came out to observe the stupefyingly stylish, orange McLaren P1 parked outside reception. The flash supercar came to the school that day for a talk given by James Warner, a former pupil of the school. The P1, a car which Mr. Warner himself personally walked on, sported a luxurious interior design and an array of cutting-edge tech.  No doubt the large crowd was probably drawn in by the stunning display.

The talk was heavily focussed on James Warner’s journey through Hampton, his path into engineering, and how he managed to secure such a prestigious position at one of the most famous car companies on the planet. It started with a detailed but easily accessible explanation of what engineering really is at its root. Mr. Warner showed the boys that there really is more to engineering than fixing leaky pipes and WiFi. 

Mr. Warner then talked about his life in Hampton. This really gave the impression that any of the boys at Hampton could achieve as great and fascinating things as being a head engineer at McLaren, or go beyond.

Finally, Mr. Warner and the boys discussed his projects at the company. This included Mr. Warner's experiences with the P1 and his contributions to the design and then led on to a revealing preview of the upcoming hypercar, the McLaren Senna.

Following the talk, Mr. Warner took questions from the boys, and these varied from the future of electric supercars and what Mr. Warner hoped to do at McLaren.