Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Mercedes-Benz
Rumormill: McLaren boss Ron Dennis fired
If you thought rumors spread fast among automotive news sites, that's nothing compared to the speculation that spreads like wildfire around racing paddocks. The latest reports suggest that Ron Dennis, who has successfully directed the McLaren F1 team to seven constructors' titles and nine drivers' championships since taking over the team in the early 1980s, has been sacked. Shareholder and engine partner Mercedes-Benz was reportedly angered by Dennis' management of the spy scandal and his failure to secure the championship. Dennis, who recently separated from Lisa, his wife of 22 years and mother of his three children, controls 15% of the McLaren Group, and according to reports, would be replaced by his deputy Martin Whitmarsh.
The reports come from Spanish sports newspaper Marca, which has been highly critical of McLaren since allegations began to surface of the team's mishandling of its ex-driver, Fernando Alonso. According to Marca, however, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be confirming the reports shortly.
[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
The Doctor 11:12AM (2/27/2008)
As if I'd believe a Spanish newspaper on any story relating to McLaren. I'm surprised they didn't add that Dennis was standing down in order to take up his place at the right hand of the Devil...
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andy 11:16AM (2/27/2008)
what a load of ****** :)
1) Its a Spanish Paper 2) Its F1-Live 3) It doesnt contain the right facts.
While Ron may hold 15% now, he does control a larger percentage. Manseour Oijeh (TAG) and the Bahrain people own stock and they have an agreement to always go with Ron's decision.
I'd be VERY surprised if this happened.
tip - dont trust F1-Live, their are more reliable F1 websites out there.
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Adam 11:21AM (2/27/2008)
Out of curiosity, what f1 sites are better? I'm honestly looking for some better sources.
Serge K. 11:29AM (2/27/2008)
To ADAM
This one is not bad:
http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/f1
Richard 11:34AM (2/27/2008)
The "site of record" for Formula 1:
http://www.autosport.com/
Some parts require a subscription, but with sites like F1-Live, you get what you pay for...
Mike F. 12:07PM (2/27/2008)
To Adam:
This is the best site for finding other related F1 items:
http://formulapod.com/
Also, their podcasts are AWESOME!
Al 12:08PM (2/27/2008)
@ Adam
pitpass.com, grandprix.com, motorsport.com, f1.gpupdate.net, itv-f1.com
Galley 12:13PM (2/27/2008)
GP Update has been my source for news since forever.
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/
BPeredo 2:03PM (2/27/2008)
Yep, http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/ is my favorite as well. Their articles are short and they provide updates frequently.
kipcarleton 11:19AM (2/27/2008)
besides the fact that he owns a majority stake in the company (through agreements with the other owners, since ron does not by himself own a majority) but agreements with the other owners allow him majority support.... ron cannot be fired and he certainly hasnt quit...where does autoblog get this hogwash? ron just spent a year fortifying the prowess of one of the best racing teams on the planet in the face of the harshest public scrutiny and criticism one could ever imagine.
hogwash
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andy 11:33AM (2/27/2008)
better sites? Well I'm not sure I can plug another site on here, so please delete this post autoblog if it isn't right.
www.autosport.com is pretty good and feed's much of Speed TV's web content. They have a rumours section (called grapevine). GrandPrix.com isn't bad as well as it has some well respected jurnos inside the paddock - but they dont get everything right....and surprisingly itv-f1.com is good as well. I would also say crash.net is a good site - but they just posted this story(!)
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cellularcoffee 11:34AM (2/27/2008)
you can't trust the Spaniards. They're nothing but a bunch of racist pigs.
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jgp 12:20PM (2/27/2008)
I LOVE that irony!
gary 11:34AM (2/27/2008)
Absolutely nothing about this on any F1 news site this morning, so it's most likely totally false.
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Richard 11:43AM (2/27/2008)
Oh! Yeah! Ron being sacked: not gonna happen.
Too bad about his marriage. I am afraid that he has lost the plot a bit after the tumult of last year and needs to reset his life's priorities - whoch shouldn't include beating the Scuderia at all costs!
IMHO
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Gooch 12:16PM (2/27/2008)
I saw this on another rumor-monger site, and as usual, even that site took the story as true.
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Pat 1:57PM (2/27/2008)
But I bet he doesn't get the irony !
MikeInNC 1:01PM (2/27/2008)
Another vote for http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/
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Richard Martin 1:11PM (2/27/2008)
Any of these sites are reliable.
http://www.planet-f1.com/
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Latest.aspx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm
http://www.f1minute.com/
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Richard Martin 1:34PM (2/27/2008)
Almost forgot this one:
www.formula1.com
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