Ah scapegoating, the last refuge of the defeated. This season McLaren got caught red-handed (pardon the pun) and lost the constructor's championship. Then its poor reliability and performance meant that neither of the team's incredibly talented pilots could lock up the driver's title, either. Rather than look inwards to find cause for his team's enormous disappointment, team principal Ron Dennis is pointing his finger. And he's pointing in our direction.
"The internet is an unregulated source of information that is a nuissance." That's what Dennis had to say. "It has added to the pressure on our team." Ron went on a bit, but that's pretty much the gist of it. Feel free to follow the link to find out how else we and our ilk screwed things up for McLaren.
(For those not yet sufficiently entertained, Autosport is reporting that McLaren mechanics made Dennis a fake trophy.)
Don't blame us, Ron. Blame Al Gore. After all, he invented the internet.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:10PM
Grow a pair.
Jo. A. Borras @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:10PM
You know, if he'd just run his team as a no. 1 an no. 2 driver race TEAM instead of a crew of cut-throats out for individual glory, this season would have turned out MUCH differently.
You reap what you sow, Ron.
Craig @ Oct 22nd 2007 7:40PM
But that would have meant either letting satan's spawn win the title 5 rounds ago or letting the biggest cry baby in F1 to win the title. I really can't decide who to favour in that instance...
nissanfreak87 @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:10PM
Hendricks better watch out next, teh interwebz will ruin their championship hopes as well!!
I've heard it can suck gas out of tanks, loosen lug nuts, and even cause engine failure!
Steve Farnworth @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:14PM
Erm guys...
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/63583
You might be able to read what he actually said on this 'internet' thing, somewhere...
Johnny Rotten @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:18PM
Hey! Al Gore didn't invent the internet, but he did make up global warming.
willem @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:47PM
With al-Gore's increasing girth, global-warming is sure to be an issue. If we were to look at recent winners of the Nobel Peace Prize... former US President Carter and dead-by-AIDS Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat... fine company!
HybridAndy @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:31PM
I could probably find this with a quick Google search, but has anyone actually calculated what McLaren constructor points would have been if they had not been taken away by the FIA?
I'm just curious because with Lewis's total of 4 for the last 2 races, and both Ferrari's finishing strong for the end of the season, what would have happened.
wastedhours @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:41PM
McLaren would have over 200 and Ferrari would have 184...
Stanton @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:57PM
Ferrari 204, McLaren 203 (total includes 15 subtracted at Hungary)
Slo-Mo-Shun @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:01PM
Actually, Ferrari has 204 points at the end and McLaren would have 203 (if they weren't excluded). McLaren could've ended up with 218 points if they've managed to successfully appeal the Huguary disaster.
Ducky @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:48PM
Autoblog, I think Ron was blaming rumours circulating through the internet for the mess between Alonso and the team, not for outright loss of the title, which is partially true with all the junk flying around (especially through Spanish Media).
"Dennis again blamed the growth of the Internet for increasing tensions between Alonso and the team", quoted from autosport, is completely different from "Dennis blames internet media for losing F1 title".
Moving on,
"Of course, I am not critical at all of the media. It just makes it so hard because everything is so instantaneous. You are just spending too much time trying to correct the inaccuracies that come into the system. That puts pressures on the team." Inaccuracies like this blog post.
I'm not a McLaren fan, but what he's saying is true. The fact that your blog makes it seem like he's blaming the media for the failure for either of McLaren's drivers to capture a driver's title is case in point.
And as Ron said, "But we will not in any shape or form say that this pressure has had anything to do with the fact that we had this problem (Hamilton's gearbox problem) today."
Philthy @ Oct 23rd 2007 8:29PM
Good to see one or two people on this site can still think for themselves.
Frank Boulton @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:55PM
Both McLaren drfivers were involvd in driver decision errors. hamilyon wnpent off course and Alonso elected to change a setting. Neither event caused by the McLaren organization.
Richard @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:02PM
Ron is a control freak and the internet, being controllable only by it's inventor (hot gases alert Gore) totally freaks out Ron.
Speaking of Al...
Let's see PV=nrT so if AL get's much bigger (V), we'll have another source of global warming to consider that is outside the Kyoto Protocol.
Craig @ Oct 22nd 2007 7:43PM
F1 is a business and controlling bad press is what businesses do. It isn't just confined to F1 and Ron.
Richard @ Oct 22nd 2007 9:03PM
Naah!
F1 is sport where the field of play is a race course, not the boardroom. The results happen on the race course for the world to see, not in widgets made in a factory, services sold or shares tendered...all recorded on a balance sheet. It's very different...if only because there is more than an annual report (which you control) and press (which you don't): there is racing in the public eye!
Besides, we know how well McLaren do at controlling the press after this year.
NOT!
Luis @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:55PM
McLaren screwed things up for McLaren,period.
zakudomgoog @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:11PM
hahahahahahaha
johdaxx @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:21PM
Well, you can adapt to survive in your environment, or you can perish. Works for racing too.