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16 Jan 2009, 12:47 (Ref:2372652) | #1 | ||
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Whitmarsh to take over from Ron Dennis as McLaren head
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44942
Not too much of a suprise, but I atleast thought he'd see this season out Maybe we won't see as many penalties awarded to Merc this year? Selby |
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16 Jan 2009, 13:05 (Ref:2372670) | #2 | |
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Very sad news. Whitmarsh is a solid guy, but still no Ron.
Hopefully Ron will still be at the races though? |
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16 Jan 2009, 13:08 (Ref:2372672) | #3 | |
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Not really surprising though, is it?
I wonder, (although it's completely academic) whether Ron would still have made this decision had Lewis not been WDC 2008? |
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16 Jan 2009, 13:32 (Ref:2372695) | #4 | ||
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It's been a hell of a journey for Ron. He started out as a mechanic, and from there went all the way to the top with the likes of Lauda, Prost, Senna (to name but a few...) and saw it all come crashing down again in the mid nineties, only to go shooting straight back up again with Hakkinen, a driver he was clearly fond of and nearly lost once. I wonder if McLaren's lean years through the 2000s were the hardest for him though? I suppose he's going to call it quits since he finally won the title back last year.
It really is the end of an era in F1. |
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16 Jan 2009, 13:41 (Ref:2372706) | #5 | |
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Ron has been leaving a lot of the day to day running of the team to Whitmarsh for years now, so in essence this isn't going to change things that much; it is more a formality than anything else. It is sad though, a face who has been around for so long is always missed. Had it not been for Spygate I think this would have happened at the end of 2007. It was noticeable that Lisa, unusually, attended most GP's in 2007 and Ron had promised her he would retire at 60 so that all fits. I think part of the reason they split was down to Ron not being able to let go and give his family the time they wanted. Anyway, I wish Ron all the best, although he isn't retiring, he will be missed (apart from the Ronspeak) as the Team Principal.
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16 Jan 2009, 13:59 (Ref:2372721) | #6 | |
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Ron has engineered an optimal strategy that will consolidate the integrity and forward thinking technology of Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes.
I'm going to miss Ronspeak. |
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16 Jan 2009, 13:59 (Ref:2372723) | #7 | ||
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Yeh I was in such a rush posting this to you guys (I've been non-stop teaching today) that I forgot to give some words myself (Without meaning to make it sound like his passed on :| lol)
I don't think one can truly appreciate Ron until you've looked into how long he's been around and how much his stuck through. On the surface you'd say his a conservatively spoken head of a huge F1 team, who gives little to nothing away. I've heard some of my friends find him 'boring', and in absolutely fairness, I can understand where they're coming from. Hence my point, until you've fully appreciated how much his done, it's only then you realise just what a huge part his played in one of F1's biggest teams. You'll be missed, Ron! Selby |
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16 Jan 2009, 16:22 (Ref:2372801) | #8 | ||
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I wouldn't be surprised if Ron is at several races, bearing in mind he's now CEO of the McLaren Group - they supposedly have some road car project being cooked up.
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16 Jan 2009, 17:58 (Ref:2372863) | #9 | ||
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Bye Bye Ron.
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16 Jan 2009, 18:03 (Ref:2372868) | #10 | |||
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Quote:
In recent years, Martin has had just as much involvement into the running of the F1 team as Ron, if not more in some areas, so really, other than title, its not much of a change. Ron will be quite busy with everything else on the group as well as some Grand Prix involvement. Hardly a retirement. A VERY mis-understood man, outside of those four grey walls in Ottershaw (its not really Woking). Last edited by andy_b; 16 Jan 2009 at 18:07. |
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16 Jan 2009, 18:07 (Ref:2372870) | #11 | |||
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16 Jan 2009, 18:43 (Ref:2372888) | #12 | ||
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congrats to MW and a big thanks to RD. i might not have been the biggest fan but thats the nature of being a spectator watching F1 from the outside so naturally i chose sides. however there is no denying that his contribution to F1 has been immense and im sure will continue to be so with his new role.
i have always found MW's interviews during race weekends to be very open and forthright in terms of explaining what is going on with his team...i hope we still get his insights now that he is team principle. |
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16 Jan 2009, 18:46 (Ref:2372893) | #13 | ||
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But then perhaps that is, in a way, a good thing. |
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16 Jan 2009, 19:25 (Ref:2372919) | #14 | ||
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Sorry to hear that, but it was expected. Enjoy the retirement, you deserve it !
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16 Jan 2009, 19:45 (Ref:2372931) | #15 | ||
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Thanks for the memories Ron.
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16 Jan 2009, 20:16 (Ref:2372952) | #16 | |
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There goes a true F1 legend,definatly a misunderstood guy who stuck to he's plan, sod what people say and pulled it off in the hardest business of all..............I wonder weither Ron will have the last word on certain F1 decisions though
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16 Jan 2009, 21:03 (Ref:2372983) | #17 | |||
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I don't know how true it is but I heard that McLaren want the "worlds fastest production car" title back. BTW the new "Worlds fastest car" is the Ultimate Aero SCC built by Shelby motors. Top speed is 256 mph if I remember rightly, Buggatti Veyron 250 mph The SCC is aerodynamically stable of speeds upto 273mph! (It was wind tested at NASA) |
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16 Jan 2009, 21:16 (Ref:2372991) | #18 | ||
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It's built by Shelby SuperCars, owned by a guy that's nothing to do with Carroll Shelby.
If McLaren put their mind to it they could make something as fast in a straight line as that and probably faster around those really exotic and rare things called corners. |
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16 Jan 2009, 22:34 (Ref:2373044) | #19 | ||
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Not too surprising that he's decided to step down, there has been speculation about it for quite some time now. I'm not sure he would have made the same decision if Hamilton hadn't won the title last year, but perhaps he feels that he's proved a point, so to speak. Good luck to him in his semi-retirement (because I don't think he's hitting the golf course just yet), it's well-deserved after so many years in such a high pressure job.
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16 Jan 2009, 22:49 (Ref:2373060) | #20 | ||
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Yeah, I'm sure there was an agreement about his retirement.
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16 Jan 2009, 23:35 (Ref:2373086) | #21 | ||
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This had to happen and as some others have said coincides with Lewis winning the WDC last season...
Brilliant man Ron Dennis, has had racing running through his veins for ever..He will be missed... |
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17 Jan 2009, 00:26 (Ref:2373112) | #22 | |
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Great guy sadly missed took charge of a not inconsiderable amount of wholly satisfactory high performance mechanical conveyances and a not inconsiderable amount of great biological components.
Err,sorry...translation: Great guy will be sadly missed,took charge of some good cars and many great drivers. Last edited by Marbot; 17 Jan 2009 at 00:30. |
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17 Jan 2009, 01:16 (Ref:2373142) | #23 | ||
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Let's face it without the Ron Dennis's of the world the FIA would have trample even further over the underdog...Blue collar to success and riches what is there not to admire about the hard work and determination of this man?... I salute you!
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17 Jan 2009, 02:05 (Ref:2373156) | #24 | ||
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Yep.
And funny is that Max shows no signs of retirement yet... |
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17 Jan 2009, 13:13 (Ref:2373323) | #25 | |
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Good luck to him in his new role.
I think he had perhaps planned to step aside at the end of '07, but didn't want to end his era on such a sour note. |
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