1,258 hp through the rear wheels only — how is the W1 not a widowmaker?

No all-wheel-drive safety net, over 1,250 horsepower, and yet every review coming out describes the McLaren W1 as approachable rather than terrifying. From an engineering standpoint that's the genuinely impressive part. My read: it comes down to the ground-effect aero generating serious downforce even at road-relevant speeds, plus a hybrid system tuned to deploy progressively rather than as a binary on/off boost. Traction isn't just about drive wheels — it's about how consistently the tyre is loaded, and that's an aero and calibration problem as much as a mechanical one. Would love to hear from anyone who's actually driven it whether that theory holds up on the road.