I'm sure many
of you have already seen the Times Online pieces (
'McLaren boss Ron Dennis set to quit' and 'Ron Dennis, driven to the end'), I just thought it useful to "archive" the links here, as it's all part of the unfolding saga. The TO isn't exactly clear to whom they're attributing the information in their report (
as far as I can see), nor are they very clear what roles (
beyond 'team manager') such a change might involve. I'd be somewhat surprised if some sort of a "transitional protocol" wasn't applied, given the role Dennis has earned and been bestowed with within his team.
It'll also be interesting to see what Ron, TAG (
Ojjeh) and Mumtalakat (
Bahrain) will be doing with their shares - as there are said to be agreements in place with regard to voting (
Mumtalakat voting with Ron and Ojjeh, effectively giving absolute control to Ron), it's not inconceivable that Daimler also has received assurances in case of certain scenarios unfolding. On the other hand, if there's such a thing as "conventional F1 participation", Mercedes has defied it with its approach under Haug's management (
as exemplified by Adam Cooper's recent feature 'SPECIAL: Mercedes’ Man in the Middle' - worth a read) so I'm not suggesting they'd necessarily view the examples of Honda, BMW and such as actions they'd need to embark on in light of improving performance.
Surely, any reduction in Dennis' role will be met with some amount of detractory crowing from spoilsport wannabes, but that will just be met with the sort of intransigence that can only be forged through decades of experience and perspective that will not in any way entertain, conform to or be swayed by a purposefully eclectic portrayal of actions and events - for that just displays a self-centered and ultimately self-defeating revisionist delusion, notes in the symphony of F1 that only the utterers themselves perceive to be discordant. (
If the preceding sentence sounded like an 'homage' to 'Ronspeak', well, that's because in part it was.)
If it's time for Ron to move on, then it's time. Not the end of the story, though, as that's only the realisation of Dennis' ultimate job - to persuade and enable his team to carry on, to evolve and to improve in some form or shape. At one point or another, that will have to involve distancing oneself from the equation. It's not until you see something taking on a life of its own that you know you've played a part in something wonderful. In this regard, the TO article's emphasis on Ron Dennis wanting to be more available to his children adds some metaphorical poignancy to the underlying theme.
that never ceases to amaze me 
or how easily the "fan" can be lead by whispered hearsay and rumour 
or how willing the "fan" is to quote and embellish the whispered hearsay and rumour, while totally ignoring the facts 
We're a bunch of blokes blabbering on......love ron or hate ron, love flavio or hate flavio, love ferrari or hate ferrari; nothing matters until march 16th. i think we're all getting so horny waiting for sex (australian gp) that we're starting to talk nonsense 
