McLaren - Ron Dennis set to leave McLaren F1

McLaren - Ron Dennis set to leave McLaren F1

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Discussion

964RS.

Original Poster:

237 posts

198 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
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Appears his contract is not being renewed at the end of this year. A spokesman has said that he's not stepping down though. He hasn't managed to get the backing to support the purchase of a further 25% stakeholding which would have secured his position.

https://uk.yahoo.com/sports/news/esp-formula-1-ron...

Edited by 964RS. on Wednesday 19th October 14:44

vonuber

17,868 posts

164 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
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Again?

belleair302

6,835 posts

206 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
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The share holding of the F1 team and its subsidiaries is somewhat complex, but Ron holds 25%. The car company is a different 'vehicle' excuse the pun and with different shareholders their interests are not so performance orientated. I believe ever since Ron divorced Lisa his relationship with Mansour Ojjeh has not been the same and Mansour found the Bahrain investors and will back them with his 25%. Finding cash to buy an F1 team isnt easy and Ron doesnt have enough to buy it back.

McLaren wont change but maybe new blood will help....just watch for a variety of changes before next season.

rdjohn

6,135 posts

194 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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While I hope this will be a positive step, I do wish that he had jumped, before being pushed.

It is always best to quit while you are at the top.

Perhaps it is Ron's presence at the top that is preventing Honda from buying the former Mercedes stake. I thought the Bahrainis were only ever intended to be an interim investor, and I doubt they have seen any return.

Mr_Yogi

3,278 posts

254 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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I would assume Ron would have wanted to return McLaren to winning ways before stepping down, and that is what he was fighting to stay for.

rubystone

11,252 posts

258 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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Mr_Yogi said:
I would assume Ron would have wanted to return McLaren to winning ways before stepping down, and that is what he was fighting to stay for.
Yes you're right. I find it ironic that, as Belleair, correctly reported, Ojjeh fell out over the failure of Ron's marriage.

I have wondered whether Ojjeh's health is a driving factor in Ron's attempts to raise the cash to buy him out ASAP. AFAIK, their relationship is now a lot better with the passing of time.

This story rises to to top every few years though. What I'd doubt is the assumption that Honda will/want to buy a stake in the team. They've been there before and it didn't end well for them. For Ross Brawn, yes. For Honda, no.

Rich_W

12,548 posts

211 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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Wonder when he'll write his memoirs...

Vaud

50,283 posts

154 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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Enter Ross Brawn? He was always very positive about Honda in the interviews I have read and heard.

greygoose

8,224 posts

194 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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rdjohn said:
While I hope this will be a positive step, I do wish that he had jumped, before being pushed.

It is always best to quit while you are at the top.

Perhaps it is Ron's presence at the top that is preventing Honda from buying the former Mercedes stake. I thought the Bahrainis were only ever intended to be an interim investor, and I doubt they have seen any return.
To be fair they haven't been at the top for a while, they are slowly getting better but are still midfield at best.

rdjohn

6,135 posts

194 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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Just to clarify, I think should have quit permanently after Spygate.

Ousting Whitmore and reinstalling himself together with dumping Mercedes in favour of Honda way to soon, have been his undoing and have diminished many of his earlier great achievements.

rubystone

11,252 posts

258 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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rdjohn said:
Just to clarify, I think should have quit permanently after Spygate.

Ousting Whitmore and reinstalling himself together with dumping Mercedes in favour of Honda way to soon, have been his undoing and have diminished many of his earlier great achievements.
Williams is evidence of what happens when one takes a customer engine and retains one's lubricant supplier.

rdjohn

6,135 posts

194 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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In 2014, they were 140 points and two slots behind Williams with the same engine.

So why on earth dump the Mercedes PU in favour of an underdeveloped Honda - there was clearly a huge amount of chassis work to be done.This wooly thinking has made the team look dumb, even with two championship winning drivers on board.

Keep hyping up a big improvement in performance every race weekend has just made Ron look completely out of touch with the reality of where this, once-great-team, really is.

Vaud

50,283 posts

154 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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rdjohn said:
In 2014, they were 140 points and two slots behind Williams with the same engine.

So why on earth dump the Mercedes PU in favour of an underdeveloped Honda - there was clearly a huge amount of chassis work to be done.This wooly thinking has made the team look dumb, even with two championship winning drivers on board.

Keep hyping up a big improvement in performance every race weekend has just made Ron look completely out of touch with the reality of where this, once-great-team, really is.
I think his point was that when Mercedes came in as a manufacturer as well as an engine supplier, there was no way that McLaren could ever become constructors champion. A fully integrated constructor would always have the advantage.

Modern cars are so tightly integrated, I think the logic was that to win (which is all they care about) they needed to do something radical, not be a customer engine. I agree with his logic, though clearly not with their execution.

rubystone

11,252 posts

258 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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rdjohn said:
In 2014, they were 140 points and two slots behind Williams with the same engine.

So why on earth dump the Mercedes PU in favour of an underdeveloped Honda - there was clearly a huge amount of chassis work to be done.This wooly thinking has made the team look dumb, even with two championship winning drivers on board.

Keep hyping up a big improvement in performance every race weekend has just made Ron look completely out of touch with the reality of where this, once-great-team, really is.
As I said. Williams is proof of the fact that in today's world of F1 a Mercedes customer team has no chance of a tilt at the championship. That's why McLaren ploughed a furrow with Honda. Yes, it's a long game and yes, Arai was a little too optimistic (as is the Japanese way) and yes, to ensure co-operation, McLaren may have over-hyped their performance expectations. But we're starting to see the improvement in the team and next year the ICE should be up there with Mercedes. The chassis is said to be better than Ferrari's now.

Dr Z

3,396 posts

170 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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Possibly due to Jost Capito joining the team this year? It's a shame but he's going before it gets good! I'm having a deja vu to Brawn's departure in 2013.

Also when has Ron or EB or even the drivers hyped themselves up every race weekend? I don't see any evidence of that. Even in Suzuka, EB had been managing expectations.

They were never going to challenge Mercedes with a Merc engine. Even this year, all customer engines are a spec behind for 3/4 races now. Even if you have a super duper chassis, the works team will have the edge. It's how it works in reality. I'd say he was brave/shrewd for seeing this in the first year of this regulation cycle and looking to the long term (specifically, 2017).

rubystone

11,252 posts

258 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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Ron hired Jost. He's never been afraid to hire strong characters. The shame is that he can't raise the finances to buy out the other investors. But this story has come up before....

Dr Z

3,396 posts

170 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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rubystone said:
Ron hired Jost. He's never been afraid to hire strong characters. The shame is that he can't raise the finances to buy out the other investors. But this story has come up before....
Right, I suspected this much. Couldn't he wait another year, so he can get more people on his side?

I think 2017 would see McLaren make the jump from midfield to the sharp end.

Vaud

50,283 posts

154 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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So Ron is 70 next year. What is the succession plan? That is what any good board of directors would be asking.

Age isn't a barrier. But in a high pressure business where, let's face it, the top F1 talent is scarce, you need to be clear as you who replaces Ron...?

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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Vaud said:
So Ron is 70 next year. What is the succession plan? That is what any good board of directors would be asking.

Age isn't a barrier. But in a high pressure business where, let's face it, the top F1 talent is scarce, you need to be clear as you who replaces Ron...?
Bernie Ecclestone is going to be available shortly. biggrin

Vaud

50,283 posts

154 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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davepoth said:
Bernie Ecclestone is going to be available shortly. biggrin
True. Bernie isn't human though. Ron is just over 50% human so reality applies.