How does the McLaren W1 control 1,258bhp using just its rear wheels?

The new McLaren W1's performance stats are wild. It's a full three seconds faster than the Senna around Nardo. It goes from 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds. It generates 1,258bhp. And... it uses just the rear wheels to control all that power. Right now you're probably thinking 'how in the Jeff does it do that?'

The answer is, er, not straightforward. It can however be simplified into three key areas: deploying serious suspension tech, changing the angles of stuff to create an absurd amount of downforce, and giving the W1 some serious stopping power. Oh, and making the thing super lightweight.

Looking initially at that wild rear-end package, we're told the powertrain has been angled by three degrees to accommodate the high-downforce rear-end diffuser. That pulls in air – directed under the car from the front-wing, actuated by two e-motors – and minimises drag.

Then there's the 'Active Long Tail' wing powered by four e-motors. They send that rear wing 300mm back, helping to create up to 1,000kg of downforce – 350kg on the front and an enormous 650kg on the back. Since the car is only 1,399kg, the road is to the car like a Dyson vacuum is to dust. Suck your cheeks in hard enough and you get a barely fractional sense of the pressure the Aerocell body is under.

Despite the constant mutterings of 'ground effect', the car doesn't actually sit on the ground. It has a fancy vehicle lift system so nothing gets scuffed on those pesky speed bumps. The sophisticated suspension suite McLaren likes to refer to as Race Active Chassis Control (RCC) is now in its third generation. On the W1, RCC III uses a titanium torsion bar, 3D-printed wishbones and sensors like they were Taylor Swift mentions. They're attached to everything and enable the car to transition between drive modes, and deploy an ‘active heave’ element to stiffen suspension when cornering.

Coupled with the six-piston caliper brakes at the front, and a four-piston caliper package at the back, the hydraulic braking system can bring the hybridised V8 powertrain of the W1 – with its 9,200-rpm redline – from 62mph to zero in 29 metres. Yep, the length of a cricket bowling strip and almost half as much again – so not really very much at all. Better start getting those ab exercises in.

In addition to titanium this, carbon fibre that and lightweight everything – giving the car a jaw-dropping power-to-weight ratio of 899bhp/tonne – there's an aluminium engine head, aluminium cylinders, none of that all-wheel-drive gubbins taking up precious weight and space, 3mm carbon fibre sun visors, McLaren's bespoke 'InnoKnit' upholstery and the carbon lightweighting architecture first seen in the Artura.

Finally, if you think you're looking at gullwing doors, you're wrong. Those are dihedral. These ones on the W1 are, for the first time we're told, 'anhedral'. They take their cue from fighter jets, curling inwards around the body of the car, directing airflow to cool the powertrain and improving roll stability by contributing to that low centre of gravity. Very helpful when taming 1,258 horsies, no doubt.

Oh, we probably forgot the fourth key area: witchcraft.