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Have McLaren always been super-friendly, but mis-interpreted through the press, or is Ron Dennis getting a bit soft in his old age? Either way, the McLaren boss has agreed to give 13 year-old Liam Fairhurst £50 of his hard-earned money for every fish the young lad manages to catch at the team’s lake, arcing around the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. The aim is raise as much money as possible for CLIC Sargent, a charity specialising in children’s cancer, its treatment and the care of the child and family. Continue Reading

Ron Dennis has lauded praise on the host of last weekend’s European Grand Prix, and within the same breath also criticised England for failing to successfully host major sporting events. Dennis’s words will be likely be criticised, himself admitting as much when he spoke to the press. But what the McLaren boss had to say was primarily in support of Valencia, it’s commitment to host international sport and invest time and money in making venues worthy of the world stage. Continue Reading

It was recently announced that Ron Dennis of McLaren will be rotating his grand prix staff as of next year due to the lack of a three week summer break. In previous seasons, 2008 inclusive, Formula One had been allowed a mid-season three week break, allowing those that travel with the teams a chance to take some time off and relax away from the pressures of work. However, the proposed 2009 calendar omits this break and the teams are concerned. Continue Reading

Ron Dennis has announced that from 2009 onwards, the McLaren team he runs will rotate their race staff around. The reason for changing the personnel present at the grands prix is because of the expanding calendar and the lack of a three-week summer break will not allow his employees enough time away from work to recuperate. Currently, we are on this three-week break and the drivers have probably all taken short holidays to relax and refocus. Likewise, the teams will have enjoyed some time-off as well, but as of next season, it will be regular one/two gaps between races from start to finish. Continue Reading

With just under two weeks to go before the Bahrain Grand Prix, I felt it was time to do another summary of the news. There’s a lot to take in, even since Sunday when Kimi Raikkonen won in Sepang; this season is already shaping up to be busier than most. I wrote a long “News Round-up” article, but then realised there was too much to put in one posting. So instead I have broken them up. Therefore, this and the following three posts may seem to jump straight into the action without much faffing at the start. I’ll be interested to see if you guys prefer this method or not, but needless to say there is a lot to discuss. And it’s not even April yet… Continue Reading

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has been all over the media in recent weeks, the events of last year refusing to disappear. Rumours of Dennis’s potential departure from the limelight have been rife across the online and offline worlds, which all came to a head earlier in the month. The Sunday Times published an article following Marca’s the week previous, pretty much stating that Ron was standing down from McLaren and handing over to Martin Whitmarsh. Of course, this will happen eventually, but Dennis has decided to remain at the forefront of McLaren for another year. A decision that is supported by the staff at Woking and the team’s engine partner and co-owner Mercedes. But is it the correct decision? Continue Reading

Some eagle-eyed readers may have noticeed that McLaren’s preview post, this very entry you’re reading, is out of sync with the previous. The previews were published in the reverse order of their constructor’s finishing place in 2007, which would mean McLaren should have been dealt with a long time ago. But as the Woking squad looked good, up until the Belgian Grand Prix at any rate, to finish in either first or second, I’ve chosen to post their entry as the penultimate in the series. And as the McLaren MP4-23 looks good to challenge for the 2008 title, it only seems right that they should be surrounded by the other top teams. So here, perhaps slightly late, is how I think McLaren’s title campaign is going to go this year. Continue Reading

The Sunday Times has jumped on the recent story-bandwagon surrounding Ron Dennis and his future at the helm of McLaren. Previously in the week it was Spanish paper Marca that suggested Ron had been forced out of the team, but denials from all quarters put paid that end of the crazy idea. But just because the 61 year-old hasn’t been fired doesn’t mean he can’t leave. And prior to the troubles of last mid-season, Ron was meant to step down at the end of 2007. Continue Reading

The Stepneygate saga refuses to go away and recently members of the McLaren team have been speaking to officials and authorities. They have given their version of events as Italian prosecutors proceed with legal action towards the team that accepted confidential data from then-Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney. The issues were originally thought to be isolated but following an investigation by the FIA last year, were found to be more serious and much more widespread throughout the McLaren organisation. And now, following raids on McLaren employee homes by Italian investigators, including that of Ron Dennis, rumours have been spreading around the media that Dennis has been fired. A rumour that is ridiculous to even suggest given the complexity of his involvement with the TAG McLaren Group. Continue Reading

For the whole time Ron Dennis has been hat the helm of McLaren, from 1980 onwards, the cars produced in Woking have been designated with the alpha-numeric sequence, MP4. The characters are then appended with the chassis number, currently 23 for their 2008 machine. I’ve always wondered why the cars have this sequence of letters and numbers, especially when others are a bit more obvious. Eddie Jordan started to use his initials in his team’s latter years, and Vijay Mallya who now owns the outfit has done the same. Renault simply call it the R and BMW go with the uninspiring F1, Red Bull also refuse to stray too far from convention with their cars named RBR and STR for the two teams. But Dennis’s MP4 designation has roots which explain the original reason as to how he became the team principal and part-owner in one of Formula One’s top teams. Continue Reading