Former McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who brought Lewis Hamilton into Formula 1 has tipped Max Verstappen to beat him to this year’s world championship.
Ron Dennis articles archive
Extract: Lauda’s second F1 retirement – and final fall-out with Ron Dennis
F1 history
Posted onRead an extract from a new biography of Niki Lauda, describing how his decision to quit F1 for good in 1985 prompted another fall-out with McLaren team principal Ron Dennis.
“It was hard to distinguish one bit of awesome from another”: Ron Dennis on Ayrton Senna
F1 history
Posted onAhead of the twentieth anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death, Ron Dennis gave a candid account of the most famous driver who ever sat in one of his cars.
“Pie in the sky” cost cap plan won’t work, says Dennis
2014 F1 season
Posted on“If you can’t afford to be in Formula One, don’t be in Formula One. There’s lots of other categories you can go motor racing in.”
Similarities to Senna in “intelligent” Button – Dennis
2014 F1 season
Posted onRon Dennis says Jenson Button has traits that reminds him of Ayrton Senna. But he singled out Button’s intelligence as his key weapon for the coming season.
Dennis plans to rid McLaren of “distractions”
2014 F1 season
Posted onRon Dennis plans to put McLaren back on top in Formula One by ensuring his team is free of any distractions from its goal.
Dennis replaces Whitmarsh as McLaren Group CEO
2014 F1 season
Posted onRon Dennis has returned to the role of McLaren Group chief executive officer, a position Martin Whitmarsh has held for the past five years.
Dennis admits McLaren could have kept Hamilton
2013 F1 season
Posted onRon Dennis says McLaren could have kept Lewis Hamilton in its team for 2013.
Button struggles during qualifying
Posted onMcLaren has struggled during qualifying for the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix, with Jenson Button failing to make into the top ten. This is the third time Button has failed to make it into Q3 this season, having qualified 14th for the British Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, but was almost two seconds slower than … Continue reading Button struggles during qualifying
Does McLaren’s suspended sentence signal an end to hostilities with the FIA?
Posted onFirst of all, thanks to everyone who posted updates on the previous article about McLaren getting a suspended sentence following the Hamilton/Trulli controversy. (As I mentioned on Twitter earlier, I’ve been out of the country for the last two days and have only just had chance to catch up on the news.) What caught my … Continue reading Does McLaren’s suspended sentence signal an end to hostilities with the FIA?
The FIA should send McLaren home without a punishment for the good of F1
Posted onWith a depressing air of familiarity, McLaren head off to the World Motor Sports Council today to hear the outcome of the latest investigation into the team’s conduct. The team have already been stripped of Lewis Hamilton’s third place in the Australian Grand Prix for what some elements of the media have dubbed, with little … Continue reading The FIA should send McLaren home without a punishment for the good of F1
Ecclestone tops Britain’s F1 rich list but sees wealth slashed by costly divorce
Posted onThose who blame the world’s wealthiest people for the financial crisis will get a does of schadenfreude from this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, as many have had billions wiped from their fortunes. F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone has seen his wealth slashed for an entirely different reason – his divorce from wife Slavica. On a … Continue reading Ecclestone tops Britain’s F1 rich list but sees wealth slashed by costly divorce
The explanations for Dennis’s departure
Posted onThe timing of Ron Dennis’s announcement that he is stepping down as CEO of McLaren Racing is bound to provoke speculation that it is a consequence of the FIA’s latest investigation of the team. But could Lewis Hamilton and father/manager Anthony have played a role in Dennis’s departure? Or did he quit in the hope … Continue reading The explanations for Dennis’s departure
Top Britons in F1 according to The Times
Posted onThe Times put together a Sporting Power 100 over the last six weeks. Six names made it onto the list, which focussed on “most influential people today in British sport.” Who made the list and, just as important, who didn’t?
Ron Dennis’s three decades as McLaren team principal, 1980-2009
History
Posted onRon Dennis is stepping down as McLaren team principal. Here’s how he turned the team Bruce McLaren founded into one of the most successful in F1.
Ron Dennis on how the Hamilton-Alonso row compared to Senna and Prost
2009 F1 season
Posted onMcLaren boss Ron Dennis gave the annual Watkins lecture at Autosport International yesterday. He was interviewed at length by veteran commentator Murray Walker for around an hour. One of the most interesting moments came when he discussed how he managed the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in 2007, and how it compared to … Continue reading Ron Dennis on how the Hamilton-Alonso row compared to Senna and Prost
How the end of Nigel Mansell’s F1 career led to the start of Lewis Hamilton’s
Posted onNigel Mansell fans would probably like to forget the embarrassing end to his career in 1995 with McLaren. After sponsors Marlboro encouraged Ron Dennis to sign the star, Mansell missed the first two races because he couldn’t fit in the car. Once that was sorted he only appeared for the team twice before refusing to … Continue reading How the end of Nigel Mansell’s F1 career led to the start of Lewis Hamilton’s
McLaren’s technical innovations have put the MP4/23 ahead of the pack
Posted onMcLaren have made a clear step forward in performance in the last two races and Ferrari have struggled to compete. What has made McLaren so competitive all of a sudden? Like every other team they constantly develop their car through the season but three particular changes seem to have made a significant different: a new … Continue reading McLaren’s technical innovations have put the MP4/23 ahead of the pack
Kubica, Schumacher and Hamilton: Why they are ‘the ones who got away’
Posted onRobert Kubica scored his maiden Grand Prix win for BMW this weekend. But if someone at Renault had been paying better attention four years ago he could have been driving for them instead. He’s not the only top driver to have slipped through the fingers of a top team early in his career. For a … Continue reading Kubica, Schumacher and Hamilton: Why they are ‘the ones who got away’
Did Bridgestone compromise McLaren?
Posted onA mistake by Bridgestone, Formula 1’s sole tyre supplier, created additional problems for McLaren this weekend. Even before the race got underway the Japanese manufacturer was openly admitting it had brought the wrong choice of compounds. It chose the same combination of medium and hard tyres it brought last year, despite the race being much … Continue reading Did Bridgestone compromise McLaren?