Hard to know which version to believe. In any case it's a sad day for F1.
Link
F1 has just lost one of it's great characters
quote:
It was also claimed that the decision was made in an attempt to ensure that Anthony Hamilton, who was described as wanting the "prickly and arrogant" Dennis away from Lewis, will keep his son on McLaren's payroll.
A sad day for McLaren. They only way for it to go from here is down.
At this rate Hamilton will very quickly lose the support of English fans. Go
Button!
[Edited on 16/4/09 by sucksqueezebangblow]
Sad day. Unfortunately (or perhaps hopefully!!) it will stop the anti McLaren feelings with the FIA.
Can you imagine if McLaren had an dodgy diffuser??? Oh how different it would have been!!!
I think MM has had it in for RD for years.....
Sad day indeed. Ron was/is a motorsport giant in my eyes. Not afraid to tell the poison dwarf and herr spanky what was what.
Was it true that Ron was one of the leaders in the American F1 '2 lap then in' problems.
My gut feeling is from that point on the poison dwarf and herr spanky have had him in there sights.
Worked his way up from the bottom to the top, F1 in now won in court rooms not the track of course he is going to 'prikley and arrogant' I
suspect it goes with the Job.
There thats my 2p thrown in.
regards
Agriv8
Wasn't a fan of Rons, don't like the team, but this is a sad day for Motorsport.
and blakep82 couln't agree with you more!
Personally, I'd be surprised if Anthony Hamilton was anything other than grateful for the opportunities that Ron Dennis has given Lewis.
Would he really have considered moving teams? Taking a view longer than this season, what other team can offer a consistent level of performance other
than Ferrari? And it looks as if Ferrari are having Alonso from 2010 and somehow I doubt Ferrari would have Alonso and Lewis together! 
Maybe BMW? But that's hardly garanteed that they'll stay in the sport with the current economic situation.
Any other team got the deeply embedded technical and engineering abilities of Mclaren? Can't see it myself!
What concerns me about Dennis going is that with him and Davy Ryan gone they've lost an awful lot of trackside experience.
Cheers,
James
Leaves a nasty taste, the Ron Dennis's of this world make things happen and build great companies empires.
They don't set out to be nice.
I think the 'Hamilton's unfortunately are reading too much of their own publicity, he's only a kid ,and only driver and he's
profited handsomely from what Ron Dennis had put together at McLaren.
How can the 'Hamilton's be in dialogue with the governing body over and above their loyalty to the team? , I'd want them out for that
alone.
Lewis Hamilton entered F1 in one of the best cars and managed to cockup the 1st year and got very lucky the 2nd year. He aint no Senna , he's
cocky and arrogant in driving style and lucky that he has not injured himself or someone else .
I guess politically he is good for MM and BE purposes, Tiger Woods , President Obama
etc.....................................................................
Read through the spin and make no mistake on who is really behind this --- don't expect Whitmarsh to last long either.
A climate of fear now exists in F1, some say things are so rotten it ain't going to get better quickly when Messers Mosely and Ecclestone
eventually go.
From what I have heard from people who have dealt with AH he is a pain in the arse! A classic karting dad! Reckon he's thrown his toys out the
pram forgetting what McLaren have given to their family!
As for Ron Dennis, he said he was leaving F1 at the end of last season to concentrate on the road car project. I was surprised that he was at the
first 2 races as he said in the press he was unlikely to even go to the races.
Not sure why they have re announced his departure as it had already been reported in the press that Whitmarsh was taking over the F1 team.
It is a shame though as he was racing through and through where as Whitmarsh has always been a member of the board without being too invloved with
trackside. Will be interesting to see how passionate he will get about the racing.
[Edited on 16/4/2009 by greggors84]
Martin Whitmarsh , Nick Fry etc , are they engineering/ racing based or corporate /political animals?
From what I know about Whitmarsh he was always behind the scenes sorting the business.
Very nice bloke apparently but wasnt invloved in the technical side of the team.
quote:
Originally posted by Surrey Dave
He aint no Senna , he's cocky and arrogant in driving style and lucky that he has not injured himself or someone else .
F1 has lost one of it's characters, he was old school and knew what it was like to go racing on a wing and a prayer. The sport has turned into a corporate event, a show put on to please the sponsers and RD no longer fits the profile of a team boss. I perfer to watch the bike racing or the pitifal coverage of the TT, those guys are real racers.
Yes James , senna was arrogant, but in my personal opinion he had more natural flair /ability to back it up.
Not many F1 drivers have the ability to lift a car to a finishing position, above it's design capabilities.
Only Senna , Schumacher possibly G.Villeneuve come to mind.
And yes James I have been a keen F1 fan since the late 60's so obviouslt know more about it!