McLaren will be at crossroads whenever Dennis departs
In an article published on Wednesday, Autosport has claimed Ron Dennis will step down as CEO of the McLaren Technology Group.
The report says Dennis will not have his contract renewed at the end of this year, however, will retain his role within the company’s automotive division.
In a statement, however, in response to the publication’s claim, a spokesman denied the Briton, who has been involved with the team in various capacities since 1980, was to step down.
Attention focused on internal manoeuvring by Dennis, who is believed to have been trying to raise capital for a full takeover of McLaren, buying out the Bahraini wealth fund Mumtalakat and long-time business partner Mansour Ojjeh.
But, Autosport understands Dennis’ efforts to complete a deal have come up short.
“Over many years, many decades in fact, McLaren shareholders have often entered into dialogue on the subject of potential equity movements and realignments, and Ron and Mansour have always been central to those discussions,” McLaren’s spokesman continued in response to the internal situation.
“That is still the case. Their recent conversations can, therefore, be categorised as ‘more of the same’.
“However, it would be inappropriate to reveal further details of such discussions, which are of course private and confidential.”
What is clear, is at 69 years old, the day Dennis finally has to hand over the reigns is getting closer.
He previously handed full control of the Formula One team to Martin Whitmarsh in 2009 but following the disastrous 2013 season, Dennis returned as CEO of the McLaren Technology Group in 2014.
Whitmarsh left the team, and Eric Boullier was drafted in as Racing Director.
Since Dennis’ return to the F1 operation, McLaren have made little progress mostly due to struggles reuniting with Honda as engine supplier last year.
Recent results have suggested there is a light starting to shine at the end of the tunnel, therefore, should Dennis depart at the end of this year, whoever takes over his role will face a difficult decision.
To continue down the path Dennis has put the team on, or, does the Woking outfit change its approach?
It is quite interesting how F1’s more traditional teams, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams have fallen behind the younger, maybe more modern teams like Red Bull, Mercedes and arguably Force India in recent years.
Is there something in the operations of these teams that gives them an advantage over those teams who stick to tried and tested methods?
For McLaren and Ferrari, that question is a pretty valid. Both have tried to keep up with Mercedes and Red Bull more notably in the past five or so years but haven’t made the progress or had the innovation of those more dynamic teams.
After Whitmarsh was sacked, Dennis’ return did feel like arguably a step backwards. We can never be totally sure about how successful it has been, because McLaren’s results have been so heavily impacted, but what if Boullier had, had the freedom he enjoyed as team boss at Lotus? A team that was also beating McLaren on a much lower budget.
The Woking operation has always been known for its meticulous approach with an emphasis on detail but perhaps without the risk-taking of those who achieved greater success.
Certainly, the Honda switch and the defiance over sticking to a ‘size-zero’ aero package were risks but then it comes down to was it the right risks to take?
All of that will have to be taken into consideration when Dennis’ successor takes over, but the big question, for now, will be if that will be sooner rather than later.