McLaren ex-team principal Ron Dennis has distanced himself from the job of President of the FIA. In an interview with F1 Racing magazine, the 61-year-old refutes recent speculation which has linked him with Max Mosley s job because his impartiality would be in question after years with McLaren.
“Anybody who s in a position of leadership of a company has to live, sleep and breathe that brand, and I think it would be impossible for me – even though I consider myself extremely disciplined – to be completely impartial regarding all the teams,†said Dennis.
Max Mosley is 69 this year and weathered considerable storms in 2008, not least in his personal legal battle with the News of the World. He is considered likely to retire in the near future.
Allegations of bias are often levelled against senior figures in motorsport – the popular conspiracy theory that Ferrari are favoured surfaces at least once a season. Dennis considers he would stand to be accused of the opposite, favouritism of the British-based teams. Other names in the frame as Mosley s replacement are Jean Todt who as an ex-Ferrari man would face similar criticism or someone from outside the world of motorsport.
Dennis relinquished some responsibility to his long-time deputy Martin Whitmarsh at the McLaren launch a few weeks back. It is unclear how reduced his day to day influence will be, but many insiders believe that he will still be heavily involved.
