Dennis to step down as McLaren launch

Ron Dennis has announced he is stepping down from the position of team principal of McLaren, as the team launched their 2009 contender. Dennis will focus on other projects within the McLaren group, handing the reigns over to his right-hand man, Martin Whitmarsh.

I try to be as impartial as possible when I am writing this blog. I don’t believe in writing for one side only. There is too much of that in the media as it is in this day and age. Even to those that I am not a genuine fan of, over the past few years I have given the fair crack of the whip when writing here.

But for Ron Dennis, I find that very hard. Ever since I first started watching this sport, he has always rubbed me the wrong way. I think he is probably the single greatest reason I never found myself pulling for a McLaren to win, even when they had drivers that I supported.

Most of memories of him are is excuses. It’s his fault, it’s their fault. That is all I can remember him saying whenever McLaren lost a race. There was always an excuse, never a ‘we got beaten by the better man’. From the interviews I have seen of him, he has always seemed too smug, cocky, and arrogant. It actually came to the point where if he was to be interviewed, I would just change the channel, rather than listen to the stories he would concoct.

The decision has been a long time coming. After the Spy-gate scandal, it was rumoured that he would step down. These rumours persisted right up until the first grand prix of the year. A number of media outlets suggested that the reason McLaren were bumped around in the pit-lane order was due to an ‘agreement’ that would have seen him step down.

Towards the end of the season, he hinted that if Hamilton won the title, he would step the wayside. Such a decision made perfect sense. Dennis has been a father-like figure to the world champion. He has seen him going from karting protégé to Formula One world champion. Leaving on a high is always the way someone would like to end a chapter of their life.

Pictures of the new McLaren can be found on Autosport here.