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[CookinFlat6]

Ron has made his announcement after the review of the company. No new CEo yet and Ron himself will be in the pit for the first 4 races 'observing'

Some great snippets

When certain team bosses speak all I hear is “Yeah…no”, followed by a load of contradictory PR gobble-de-gook which is designed to be seen to be saying something, yet in fact saying nothing at all. Not Big Ron.

For many there was a coup d’état in leafy Woking back in January, as Ron Dennis assumed control of the entire McLaren group as CEO. He promised a review of the team and its structure and personnel and that an announcement would be made regarding the team principal today.

Predictably, Dennis has delivered a barnstorming call to arms from his troops today, and he began by outlining where he believes the company is at following his review.

Step up, or move on

“As I said to everybody some time ago, if everyone matches my own passion, commitment and focus then we will most definitely win. The company was a little unfit and it needs to get fit. There’s pain to getting fit and so hopefully everybody has got the right mindset – and that’s what it’s about, mindset – to understand what we expect of each other and what I expect of them.”

The old attitude of not suffering fools gladly is clearly still burning in the British Entrepreneur’s soul as he makes it clear his people will have to step up to the plate.

“It takes people time to understand what is expected of them and if they don’t get there then they won’t be with the company. But I will give everybody plenty of messages what I expect out of them and if they get the message then fine, and if they don’t get the message then move on. It will take time to get to where I want to be.”

We might be seeing team members who complain or blame the car moving on

“For some time I have been discussing with the shareholders and with everybody that this is not working. So inevitably Martin had to face the facts and it was not working. It is not surprising that there was a change”.

Should have read this forum a few years ago

The situation is 100 per cent between him and me until its resolution. I know I am tough, I know people have different opinions of how I run companies and how I function, and people see my attention to detail as a negative.

Yess Ron!!!! SLASH AND BURN DEAD WOOD. Its your team

[racechick]

Bring it on!!!! McLaren could just be getting exciting again!

[CookinFlat6]

He also says Mag was his choice, and he hopes Lewis will come back once they are competitive

Also says Jenson conducts himself well in the team and is fit and his age and intelligence could help THIS year

Doesn't sound like he rates him as a driver tho he says he is fast, I think that's the clearest statement that Jenson is not in the ans beyond this year.

[racechick]

I can believe that Mag was Ron's choice, he was brave enough to put lewis in the car, now Mag. And I think if things fall right Lewis will go back.

[darwin dali]

WOKING - McLaren boss Ron Dennis sang the praises of his Formula One driver line-up on Thursday and detected echoes of Ayrton Senna in Jenson Button's relationship with the team.

"In many ways there are similarities between Ayrton and Jenson," the 66-year-old group chief executive told reporters at a pre-season briefing at the McLaren factory in southern England.

"He is an incredibly good human being. He has principles and values. And the way that he conducts his life and his relationship with this team is right up there with some of the other great drivers who have been with us."

Brazilian Senna won his three titles with McLaren before he was killed at the wheel of a Williams in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. His death remains the last of a driver during a Formula One race weekend.

Button, the 2009 world champion with Brawn GP, is starting his fifth year with McLaren and has a new teammate in Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen following the departure of Mexican Sergio Perez.

The Briton's contract is up for renewal at the end of the season, when McLaren are switching from Mercedes engines to Honda power.

Dennis said Button, the most experienced driver on the starting grid in a career that dates back to 2000, was as fit as any rival and was also highly intelligent.

"Intelligence is going to become an absolute pre-requisite to cope with the complications drivers have in the car, the fuel management and tyre management...it is going to require brainpower and dedication," he added.

"And then he's quick. He is capable of winning races and world championships...I'm extremely optimistic and I think he will be an incredible mentor to Kevin."

[What's Burning?]

I'm just like Senna too, we have identical hair color.

[Hammer278]

Lol I didn't know RD is abusing.

Anyway let's see how "Senna" compares to Kevin this season.....let the games begin.

[racechick]

Well Ron's stuck with him this year isn't he. He can't really talk down his own drivers. He must look at Mercedes and Ferrari and salivate. Lets just see how the 'mentoring' goes when Kevin challenges Button in a race.

Im Not being negative about McLaren. I think it's good that a TP is positive in public about his drivers.

[CookinFlat6]

And that's the difference between Ron and the dead duck. Ron has identified the only Button values worth sh1t to him, and has stated what he wants out of him - mentor Kev
No calling him an experiment, or one of dead ducks follies, he didn't say he was a McLaren driver like Mag but even found the positive out of his brown nosing abilities by saying he finds echoes of Sennas relationship with the team
Everyone loved and wanted to protect Ayrton, everyone loves steak dinners
In Ronspeak this is 'Button as a driver ain't fit to shine Ayrtons shoes, but sucks up to everyone'

[sagi58]

...In Ronspeak this is 'Button as a driver ain't fit to shine Ayrtons shoes, but sucks up to everyone'

Ah, so am I to believe that your take on Ronspeak is that it's actually ??

[CookinFlat6]

...In Ronspeak this is 'Button as a driver ain't fit to shine Ayrtons shoes, but sucks up to everyone'

Ah, so am I to believe that your take on Ronspeak is that it's actually ??

No Sagi, as I stated my take on Ronspeak is that he is very direct about what he says, and when he says a driver is as good as Senna he means a driver is as good as Senna,

and when he says a driver got on with the staff at the team like Senna, he means thats the best thing he can see in him, as we all know F1 TPs like to win and like to have the best drivers, and in Rons case is proud to lay claim to having had the best and having discovered the best.

So every driver is benchmarked against the best one Ron has had, and Ron pinpoints the only metric to compare the 2 on - 'echoes' (echo is something fleeting, that you might miss if you werent expecting it) of how Senna got on with the team.

So thats Ronspeak, directly with no ambiguity, telling us that he has nothing good to say about Button as a driver and is not gonna make things up or do PR talk beyond saying he is fast, experienced and intelligent. 3 things you would say about any driver with 15 years experience

Compare that with this;

Former McLaren team principal Ron Dennis has revealed who he rates as the finest drivers during his time at the Woking-based outfit – and reflected upon the highlight and lowest point of his three decades at the helm.

Dennis established himself as one of the most successful team managers in F1 history by guiding McLaren to no fewer than 17 world championship crowns – ten drivers' laurels and seven constructors' trophies – during his tenure in charge from 1981 to early 2009.

Over that period, the Englishman hired some of the most illustrious drivers the sport has ever seen, including the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Keke Rosberg, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton – world champions all. Asked to pick the cream of the crop, he narrows it down to three.

“Mika I choose for his honesty, Lewis for his uncompromising attitude and Ayrton because of his passion,” he mused, speaking to Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

So Button he likes for 'echos' to Sennas interaction with the team - Ouch

[sagi58]

...In Ronspeak this is 'Button as a driver ain't fit to shine Ayrtons shoes, but sucks up to everyone'

Ah, so am I to believe that your take on Ronspeak is that it's actually ??

No Sagi, as I stated my take on Ronspeak is that he is very direct about what he says, and when he says a driver is as good as Senna he means a driver is as good as Senna,

and when he says a driver got on with the staff at the team like Senna, he means thats the best thing he can see in him, as we all know F1 TPs like to win and like to have the best drivers, and in Rons case is proud to lay claim to having had the best and having discovered the best...

OK... but, Ron Dennis hasn't actually worked with Button as his Team Principal, so that might make a difference in his choices?

Also, I took "echoes" to mean that it repeats how Senna was with the team, i.e., it's the same, which is a compliment to Button!

By the way, not all drivers with 15 years experience can lay claim to be a WDC!

So, that's three things you and I don't interpret as being the same, which makes Ronspeak "ambiguous", eh?

[CookinFlat6]

So echo means a repeat of how Senna got on with the team. No ambiguity about the fact that he doesnt say Button is a great McLaren driver just a fast experienced one who is expected to put that to use THIS season

No talk of Button leading the team for the next era, no talk of his greatness, only what's expected - to mentor Kev THIS year

If Ron was planning to keep him he would have said so

[sagi58]

Thanks for that... but, would he have said this

...If Ron was planning to keep him he would have said so

before the season has even begun?

[CookinFlat6]

He would have talked about Buttons expected contribution for the future if he was part of his future plans. He didnt, he talked about Buttons expected contribution for the 1 year he has left at the team as per his contract. He spoke about the future and mentioned the driver he would like to attract back (and it wasn't a certain excitable Spaniard)

Its not rocket science with Ron, he says it exactly as it is