Despite rumours to the contrary, McLaren boss Ron Dennis says he is more than happy to leave F1 after 43 years, writes KYLE FORTUNE
A VISIBLY RELAXED Ron Dennis stood before journalists at McLaren’s Woking Technical Centre to announce his retirement as chief executive of McLaren Racing to Martin Whitmarsh. In a move speculators say is strategic – to garner leniency from the FIA over McLaren’s recent indiscretions on track – Dennis is adamant his decision to walk away from F1 after 43 years is entirely his own.
The fastidious Dennis has been instrumental in pushing McLaren to its lofty heights in Formula One, winning plentiful championships in the process.
Dennis joked that although Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone would be smiling at the news of his departure, they had no bearing on his decision to leave. His focus will instead be on McLaren Automotive, an independent company launching a new production road car in 2011.
Dennis’s choice to leave behind Formula One came easier to him than he anticipated. Already having promoted Martin Whitmarsh to team principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes at the unveiling of this year’s F1 car, Dennis has taken a backseat role in the team. Watching the Malaysian race from home on television, he said he was surprised how easy it was: “I expected withdrawal symptoms, but had none.” Dennis also said he has “no qualms about leaving Martin to report to the board regarding matters concerning Formula One”.
Asked about McLaren’s reportedly cooled relationship with Lewis and Anthony Hamilton after the team’s inability to provide a competitive car and subsequent dismissal of the team’s sporting director Dave Ryan in Australia, Dennis said in every business humans make mistakes. He added that he is still fond of Hamilton and repeated his commitment to gift him a McLaren F1 GTR – worth over €3 million – should the young star win three F1 World Championships with the team.
Dennis said although McLaren is experiencing a dip, while rivals are riding on the crest of a wave (thanks to the recent rule changes), McLaren’s best minds are working on a competitive solution. He was quick to point out the cars on the grid are wearing the numbers one and two and will again, although he admits Brawn GP will likely win a few more races this year.
This season, McLaren’s F1 crisis is over misleading the stewards at the Australian Grand Prix. The FIA said the team lied in post-race investigations as to whether it gave driver Lewis Hamilton instructions to allow Jarno Trulli’s Toyota overtake him while behind the safety car.
The incident saw Hamilton stripped of his third-place finish and – depending on the outcome of the FIA hearing on April 28 – a possible ban for the team for bringing the sport into disrepute. In the meantime, Dennis is happy to leaving Formula One behind, saying: “I started F1 in 1966, but don’t feel the same way about it now. I’m 61 years old – do I want to stop working or do something that I can throw all my enthusiasm into?” For now, that something is McLaren Automotive – rival firms be wary.