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[Mick]

I don't really like nor dislike Ron Dennis. I always thought he was a bit of a funny bugger, a tad arrogant and dismissive, but always a very highly motivated individual who is driven to win and that, has to be respected whether you like him or not. It will be a bit strange not to see him around as much in 2009.

[thestake]

Dennis was meticulous, and that was so necessary in a sport like F1. By all accounts he was hard to get to know as an individual, but his vision for the company and the team have seen great rewards, and aside from the track their building in Woking is meant to be incredible.

Nice write-up of his efforts from Simon Barnes here: Times - below the Murray story!

[bud]

and aside from the track their building in Woking is meant to be incredible.

they are building a track there?

[FerrariFan63]

Would this make Dennis a potential candidate to succeed Mosley in the FIA? As it would be easier for him to detach himself from McLaren. Though, it would be tricky as he would still own a lot of the team.

[Gaz]

and aside from the track their building in Woking is meant to be incredible.

they are building a track there?

Theres a track they use in waybridge you see Merc's SLRs on it.

[bud]

Would this make Dennis a potential candidate to succeed Mosley in the FIA? As it would be easier for him to detach himself from McLaren. Though, it would be tricky as he would still own a lot of the team.

I dont think he would want that position aside from the fact the FIA members vote for the president and i cant see many voting for Ron.
Plus he would have to sell his share in McLaren, possible if Mercedes buys it out.

and aside from the track their building in Woking is meant to be incredible.

they are building a track there?

Theres a track they use in waybridge you see Merc's SLRs on it.

wheres that? so there isnt one being built at the Tech centre?

[Gaz]

might be mate, i've not heard anything about it though

[EwanM]

Hamilton knew about Dennis's plan

By Jonathan Noble Monday, January 19th 2009, 11:35 GMT


Lewis Hamilton was fully aware since the end of last year of McLaren boss Ron Dennis's plans to step down as team principal, autosport.com has learned, despite reports at the weekend suggesting that he only found out about the news minutes before last Friday's announcement.

Dennis ended weeks of speculation about his future plans at the launch of the new McLaren in Woking on Friday when he revealed that he would be handing over the role of team principal to Martin Whitmarsh on March 1.

That announcement prompted various reports at the weekend suggesting Hamilton was unaware about Dennis' plans until moments before it happened.

However, while Hamilton may have known the news was going public only on the morning of the launch, Dennis has confirmed to autosport.com that he fully briefed the world champion about his plans back in December.

"After the BBC Sports Review of the Year programme was filmed in Liverpool on the evening of Sunday December 14, Lewis and I flew to Washington DC to visit ExxonMobil, one of McLaren's principal partners," explained Dennis.

"On the flight we spoke openly, as we always do, and I went through my plans with him in minute detail. So he was fully aware of Martin's and my plans.

"The only aspect Lewis may not have been fully aware of in advance was the exact timing of my announcement, because when he and I spoke together on the plane I didn't tell him I was going to go public on the day we'd be launching the MP4-24."

Dennis has reiterated that his decision to step down as team principal and hand over responsibilities to Whitmarsh does not mean that he will cease to be involved in the operation of the team.

"Martin is already Chief Operating Officer of the McLaren Group and F1 CEO of McLaren, and from March 1 he'll also be Team Principal. So he'll lead the team from the front line at grands prix.

"I'll still be involved, because McLaren Racing designs and builds the McLaren cars, and McLaren Racing is part of the McLaren Group of which I remain Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

"It may sound complex to outsiders but it's crystal-clear to everyone who works within the McLaren Group and within McLaren Racing, and the change has been made in order to optimise the smooth working of those entities."

Dennis has made it clear that he will still attend F1 races, but that his focus now will be on working harder than ever to grow the McLaren Group of companies.

"I'll probably go to a number of grands prix, because I'm a diehard motorsport enthusiast and always will be, but Martin will lead the team from the front line at grands prix," he said.

"He'll be responsible for the team's overall performance, working closely with our partners Mercedes-Benz and the personnel that make up the management matrix that, together with Jonathan Neale [McLaren Racing's managing director], he set up some years ago for exactly that purpose. As such, things will, I expect, be seamless.

"As for me, I'll concentrate on leading and growing the McLaren Group. The McLaren Group comprises not only McLaren Racing but also McLaren Automotive, McLaren Marketing, McLaren Electronics Systems, McLaren Applied Technologies, McLaren Inc and Absolute Taste [McLaren's in-house catering company], and employs well over 1000 people nowadays."

He added: "Getting the best out of them, and harnessing their performance so as to optimise growth, will be a full-time job for me - which is why I was careful to emphasise, when on Friday I announced my decision to pass on the position of Team Principal to Martin on March 1, that I intended to work harder rather than less hard after March 1.

"Let me stress that fact once more, very clearly: I'll work harder, not less hard. This isn't retirement. This is a realignment of duties intended to enable both Martin and me to focus more productively on the hard work we both have ahead of us, both on and off track."


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72863

[McLaren Fan]

Most Formula One fans basically knew Dennis was changing his role in McLaren, so it would be unbelievable that Hamilton didn't know.

[EwanM]

Flavio, Alonso pay tribute to Dennis
Monday, 19 January 2009 00:00

Flavio Briatore and Fernando Alonso have both paid tribute to Ron Dennis after the McLaren team boss announced last week that he would step down from his role at the head of the Formula 1 team.


Dennis is to hand the team principal position to current CEO Martin Whitmarsh on 1 March, and will move to a wider role in the McLaren Group.


Renault team boss Briatore admitted that he had crossed swords with Dennis on occasion, but admired his achievements.


"I have great respect for what Ron Dennis has done in Formula 1, honestly," said Briatore.



"Ninety percent of the time we don’t agree, we have a different view about Formula 1 – but I respect completely what Ron Dennis has done in the last 20 years in Formula 1.


"He is one of the great team owners and he built up an incredible company.


"You don’t need to be friends with him [to have a] lot of respect for what he has done."


Alonso's difficult relationship with Dennis was one of the primary causes for the Spaniard's split with McLaren after just one season, but he also expressed his respect for the long-time team boss.


"We are not best friends but I think there is respect from each of us," he said.


"He has been so many years in Formula 1 with a successful team.


"It’s not easy to handle the pressure of so many years at the top of Formula 1.


"We didn’t have a perfect end to our relationship, but I know how much he has done for Formula 1.


"When I was young I remember McLaren and I have great respect for him.


"There are not many people like Ron in Formula 1 any more.


"Now rich people come in and buy the teams, or you have big manufacturers, and Ron was like the old days – one guy developing and growing up with the team, building a successful Formula 1 team and winning championships.


"I wish him the best for his new life."


Briatore also praised Dennis's contribution to the Formula 1 Teams' Association, and contrasted his willingness to help with BMW's insistence on pushing on with Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems - having slammed the German manufacturer earlier today.


"In this FOTA organisation I believe we have a few teams that have done an incredible job, and I want to tell you that Ron Dennis was one of the big supporters of FOTA," said Briatore.


"The policy of McLaren was changed completely. My respect for Ron in the last few months was more, because he gave up a lot.


"Ferrari gave up a lot, Renault gave up a lot, and some teams gave up nothing.


"Someone who always put the interests of Formula 1 first was Ron Dennis.


"Some team, instead of that, pushed hard to make sure everybody spent a fortune to have the KERS in Australia."

http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44969

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

As Ron Dennis prepares to hand over the McLaren team principal role to Martin Whitmarsh, we give you 10 key moments in an extraordinary career as a Formula One team boss

By Adam Cooper

On March 1 an era will come to an end when Ron Dennis formally hands over the McLaren team principal reins to Martin Whitmarsh. Of course, Dennis is not going to go away, and he'll still have a say, but he's promised that his erstwhile right-hand man will now have the freedom to run things as he wishes, having played an ever-significant role over the past few years.

To mark the change we celebrate 10 key moments in the history of McLaren in which Dennis demonstrated his ability to constantly improve his company.

Cancelling the Rondel project

In 1973 Dennis and his business partner Neil Trundle were working flat out on the next obvious step for their slickly-run Rondel F2 operation – moving into grand prix racing. They even had a car under construction. But with the oil crisis biting, economic times were hard. Without what he felt to be adequate sponsorship to do the job, Dennis cancelled the project. Somebody else took over the car and it ran briefly in 1974 as the Token. Meanwhile, Ron and Neil took stock and decided to wait for another opportunity. Had they pushed ahead at the time, and experienced a humiliating failure, Dennis would probably never have got involved with McLaren. It must have been a hard decision to make, but it was the right one.

Gambling on John Barnard and the MP4

John Barnard had been successful in Indycars but had only enjoyed a sporadic involvement in F1. But Dennis saw something in him and, when Barnard proposed that a grand prix car could utilise a full composite chassis, Ron had complete faith in him. He then had to convince the world that it was the right way to go. The composite tub is such an integral part of motor sport today that it's hard to appreciate now what groundbreaking technology it was back then. In effect, Dennis gambled his whole future on Barnard’s ability to make it work. A strong team was subsequently built up around Barnard, and crucially many of the key McLaren technical guys have been there for a long time, reflecting both Ron’s loyalty and an environment that encourages people to stay. The only individual to subsequently have as much influence as JB was Adrian Newey, who Dennis lured from Williams in 1997. When Adrian was persuaded to escape to Jaguar by his old pal Bobby Rahal, Ron put extraordinary efforts into a successful attempt to change his mind, ensuring that he stayed on board for a few more years.

Attracting Marlboro's full support

After cancelling the Rondel F1 project Dennis had his first low-key involvement with Marlboro, running a pair of Latin American drivers in F2 in 1974. He got the deal from new Philip Morris sponsorship man John Hogan – whose previous job had been trying to drum up money for Ron. Hogan would eventually be in a position to allocate some F1 money to Dennis, and it was he who brokered the merger between the fledgling Project 4 team and the established, but struggling, McLaren outfit in 1980. Marlboro would continue to pay the bills until 1996, in effect subsidising the team’s massive expansion and growth. Getting those title sponsors has been key to McLaren’s success, and Dennis long ago put a big focus on creating a large marketing department. When Philip Morris decided to focus on Ferrari, McLaren landed West, and created a new silver/grey identity that gelled perfectly with that of Mercedes. And when tobacco sponsorship became untenable, Dennis gained some revenge for the loss of Marlboro by stealing Vodafone from Ferrari. The man who ran the phone company’s sponsorship programme was none other than John Hogan...

Hiring Niki Lauda... and a few other legends

This whole story could be full of successful driver signings, so let’s just compress them all into one section. The first great call was of course Niki Lauda, tempted out of retirement for 1982. Lauda had driven a Marlboro-backed, Dennis-run car in the 1979 BMW Procar series before retiring to focus on building up his airline. After a couple of years he got a little bored with that, and needed some money, so Dennis came along at just the right time. Would anyone else have tried to tempt the Austrian back, let alone succeeded? Lauda’s return gave the team huge credibility as well as technical input that helped to move it forward, especially in the early days of the turbo era. Lauda won the title in 1984, and was followed as champion by Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen while Ron managed – most of the time – to replace one great driver with another. Juggling the needs of Senna and Prost through 1988 and 1989 remains one of the hardest tasks Dennis ever faced and, most of the time, he made it work. Indeed it was Prost's and Senna's spell at McLaren that established both men as among the very greatest of all time.

Stealing TAG from Williams

Success in F1 is always about putting the best package together, and if that means taking elements that other people already have, so be it. TAG was a Williams sponsor when Dennis convinced Mansour Ojjeh that a brighter future lay with McLaren – and initially that involved backing the Porsche turbo engine (see below), an investment that went beyond the usual sponsor/team arrangement. The next step came in 1985 when TAG bought John Barnard's shares. Crucially, Dennis recognised that Ojjeh could provide ongoing investment and open doors that would otherwise remain closed, thus was willing to share a percentage of the company.

Getting Porsche on board

In the early 1980s finding a turbo engine was a key for all of the teams using Cosworths, and Dennis displayed more imagination than most. Recognising that Porsche was top of the turbo game in sportscar racing – but that the company had no interest in F1 – Ron got TAG to finance the development of an engine exclusively for McLaren's use. The V6 would earn the team three consecutive world championship titles in 1984-'86 before it lost competitiveness. For the last year of the turbo era Dennis abandoned his own engine and secured a Honda deal (once again at the expense of Williams), and the team embarked on an astonishing period of success. The Honda era was followed by a period of uncertainty that saw dalliances with Ford, Chrysler/Lamborghini and Peugeot, before Ron seized the moment by dumping the French manufacturer to forge a relationship with Mercedes. It has proved to be enduring, and given McLaren the chance to take a further step in road car production.

Starting the McLaren F1 project

It had no direct impact on the success of the grand prix team – some might suggest that, if anything, the management time devoted to it cost the racing operation – but there's no question that the McLaren F1 project was a great achievement. Dennis set out to create the ultimate road car, and by backing Gordon Murray's vision, he did exactly that. The fact that the car went on to huge success in GT racing, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995, was a bonus. It might not have been a commercial success, but the F1 will forever be regarded as one of the greatest road cars ever made.

Commissioning the MTC

A monument to one man's huge ego, or the spectacular reflection of a visionary who always searches for perfection? Some may mock the McLaren Technology Centre, but it is an amazing facility that transcends its role as the base of a motor racing team to become something altogether more significant. It also pursued eco friendly themes some time before Honda made such a policy fashionable in F1 circles. The MTC also reflects the patience referred to earlier with regard to Rondel. The old base in Woking had long ago been outgrown, and for several years Dennis had to watch in some frustration as other teams moved into flashy new facilities. But he wanted to do it properly and create something that would last for a generation or two, so he waited until the right opportunity was there. The cost was enormous, but the place plays a crucial role in defining what the team is all about.

Discovering Lewis Hamilton

Okay, let's cheat a bit and give a driver his own section. But Lewis Hamilton is very different from other choices made by Dennis. The likes of Senna and Prost had won races before they went to McLaren, while others such as Hakkinen and Raikkonen had shown a lot of promise elsewhere on their F1 baptisms. That kind of talent spotting is one thing, but Hamilton was signed up as a youthful kart racer, in what Dennis has termed a 'project'. There were ups and downs, and at times Lewis's father and manager Anthony Hamilton was exasperated by McLaren's decisions, but it paid off in the end in spectacular fashion. Over the years Martin Whitmarsh was closer to Hamilton’s day-to-day career, but Dennis deserves full credit for setting things in motion and putting his money where his mouth was.

Getting through 2007 intact

Love him or loathe him, you have to give Dennis credit for bringing his team safely through that painful 2007 season. The Stepney affair, the $100m fine and loss of constructors’ points, the contest on and off the track between Hamilton and Fernando Alonso – it was an extraordinary year, and it took a special kind of leader to assume overall responsibility for the setbacks and keep his troops motivated, under extreme pressure. And while the FIA investigation did suggest that there was more going on at Woking than we originally thought, there appeared to be no question marks over the personal integrity of Dennis. Keeping the team on course paid off with Hamilton's 2008 title, a success that allowed Ron to take a step back with his head held high.

[Gert]

So, he's letting Whitmarsh do the donkey work but still showing up at as many GPs as he can. That's not exactly the end of an era is it?

[headless]

Maybe he is expecting it to go seriously wrong this season, so he is quitting while ahead.

Then he can't be blamed for the poor showing.

[FerrariFan63]

I wonder if Ron moving is a delayed reaction from the McLaren cheating scandal of 2007. Note that it's been announced that Ferrari and McLaren have drawn a line under it, but this was after Ron announced his changed role. I don't believe that Ron knew of the espionage, but as the team leader he has to take some responsibility for the actions of his team.

[AKR]

Maybe he is expecting it to go seriously wrong this season, so he is quitting while ahead.

Then he can't be blamed for the poor showing.

That would be great if he is expecting all to go wrong this season for McLaren. I hope that theory is true.