Ron Dennis has announced at the launch of McLaren’s 2009 car that he will step down from the team principal role he has occupied for 27 years. In that time he has helped Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Aytron Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton to world drivers titles and become an influential figure in Formula 1, but his decision to step down, which has been rumoured since the end of the 2007 season, comes at a time where he feels the team is ready to move on with a new principal, following their victory in the drivers championship last year.
Dennis announced he would leave the job to McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh, who has been working at the British team since 1989. He also said he will take a step back and focus on other commitments within the McLaren group. Speaking to the press he said: “I intend to raise my own game because I think everybody in our organisation at every level realises this is a tough period in which we are going to work and of course we are a very diverse organisation now. We have a clear intention for our production car programme which is really a challenge. Any product we bring to the market will certainly fall the other side of this financial period. Don’t see it as some sort of retirement, I want to work harder in other areas and having to plan those tasks around the GP calendar is disruptive to the process. It is a job that Martin will embrace and enjoy. It is a job over the years we have shared anyway, but it will be his decision to influence things at a grand prix circuit.”
Dennis also said he will continue to attend some races this year. He will officially step down from his team principal role on the 1st of March.
Leave a Reply