“I am disappointed that the representatives of TAG and Mumtalakat, the other main shareholders in McLaren, have forced through this decision to place me on gardening leave.”
These were the words in a statement from long-time McLaren supremo Ron Dennis, upon the news that he had been ousted by his fellow shareholders.
“The grounds they have stated are entirely spurious; my management style is the same as it has always been and is one that has enabled McLaren to become an automotive and technology group that has won 20 Formula One world championships and grown into an £850 million a year business. Throughout that time I have worked closely with a series of talented colleagues to keep McLaren at the cutting edge of technology, to whom I will always be extremely grateful.
“Ultimately it has become clear to me through this process that neither TAG nor Mumtalakat share my vision for McLaren and its true growth potential. But my first concern is to the business I have built and to its 3,500 employees. I will continue to use my significant shareholding in both companies and my seats on both boards to protect the interests and value of McLaren and help shape its future.”
It had been no secret over the past months that the angst between the 69-year-old and his friend and partner for many years in Mansour Ojjeh, had boiled over.
Rumblings of a possible coup by the Bahraini holding company Mumtalakat and Ojjeh had intensified in recent times, until the news broke that Dennis had at last been deposed.
Despite engineering the great success that the McLaren racing organisation has enjoyed since his ascension to power in 1981, it can be argued that Dennis was the architect of his eventual downfall.
In 1983, Dennis lured Ojjeh and his organisation TAG away from Sir Frank Williams’ team. This marked the beginning of lengthy and mostly fruitful partnership.
Fractures between the pair started as far back as 2007, a season which saw the Woking operation excluded from the constructor’s championship for their hand in the ‘Spygate’ scandal, as they were found guilty of the theft of classified technical data from their rivals at Ferrari.
A civil war between then-teammates Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton did nought to aid Dennis, who was left mincing his own words of promise to his drivers about who was the number one.
Having elucidated in his statement that his “management style is the same as it has always been,” is another reason for his collapse. In particular his stubborn and reluctant approach to sponsorship.
Refusing to lower rate card demands resulted in the loss of many high profile and long-time backers of McLaren. Tag-Heuer, Hugo Boss and more recently Exxon Mobil sit atop a list of brands who’ve made the exodus, following Vodafone’s withdrawal as title sponsor at the end of 2013.
Another thorny matter was that of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which in 2011 was not held due to political unrest in the kingdom. The following season, the McLaren Group were to internally vote to whether they should race in Bahrain. A vote that according to Formula One Paddock sage Joe Saward, Ojjeh as acting chairman was forced to cast his vote in conjunction with Dennis, however decided to vote against himself and his partner – which the latter saw as a betrayal.
There was a return of serve in a way, when Dennis axed his former protégé and McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh at the conclusion of a dismal 2013 campaign. This was a decision in turn, that Ojjeh couldn’t have a say in – due to being critically moribund in hospital.
Though it was what occurred following the redistribution of the 40 per cent of shares that Daimler AG owned in the McLaren team, which placed Dennis into a corner from which he couldn’t escape from.
In 2009, Mercedes-Benz ended its works association with McLaren. While they were still engine partners until the end of 2014, Daimler were set to revive the Silver Arrows brand through Ross Brawn’s operation.
The 40 per cent share they owned in the McLaren Technology Group was split among the existing shareholders. A further 20 per cent was added to Mumtalakat’s 30 per cent, while Dennis and Ojjeh received 10 per cent each to take their totals to 25 per cent apiece.
This was the opportunity for the Briton to seize back the controlling share and deny an effective 75 per cent controlling of the company by Ojjeh and the Bahrainis. However there Dennis fell upon his own sword – doomed to be one day shown the door by his own family.
What will happen in the Dennis-less era at McLaren remains to be seen. Only time will tell whether their renewed partnership with engine supplier Honda bare the fruits that the great man foretold.
What cannot be ignored, despite being a victim of his own obsessiveness as Formula One pundit James Allen describes, is that without Ron’s passion and ingenuity – McLaren would not be where it is today.
A total of 17 world championships and 158 grand prix wins during Dennis’ tenure makes him one of the most successful team bosses in the sport’s history. Not to mention managing a marquee roster of drivers, from past-time legends like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, to more modern greats like Lewis Hamilton and Mika Häkkinen.
This legacy will be damned too by the solitary title claimed since the turn of the century in 2008.
Many liken the rise and fall of Dennis to a Shakespearean tragedy and despite being the architect of his eventual demise – Bruce McLaren’s vision for his namesake marque wouldn’t be the colossus it is today without Ron Dennis.
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