Mister McLaren
McLaren’s return to the top in Formula 1 – with the Woking team surprisingly winning the Constructors’ Championship in 2024 and currently firmly leading both championships this season – has made many think back to the golden era of the historic British team, between the mid-1980s and late 1990s. At that time, the father and master of the team was Ron Dennis, the legendary manager who rewrote Formula 1 history.
Between 1981 and 2009 Dennis was the team principal, leading McLaren to win a total of 7 Constructors’ titles and 9 Drivers’ championships. Now, at 77 years old, he enjoys a well-deserved relaxation with family, children, and grandchildren. But he hasn’t forgotten his old world, even though he hasn’t appeared in the paddock for years. From home, however, he never misses watching the Grands Prix on TV.
The jab at commentators
“I always turn off the sound,” he revealed with a sharp joke in an interesting interview recently given to David Walsh of the Sunday Times, “I know too much to want to listen to the nonsense of some commentators. I watch the purity of the race. I love the sport, I still love watching the Grands Prix.” However, he doesn’t miss the paddock atmosphere—not because he denies his glorious past, but because he has accepted that chapter of his life has ended.
“I will never go back [to the paddock],” he assured, “you can imagine I have children and grandchildren pestering me to go. I arrange everything for them, but I don’t go. I’ve seen people return to Formula 1 after leaving it. The fact is your opinion is outdated, even if you’re a multiple world champion. People are polite, they do everything you’d expect. They seat you, offer you coffee, but you have nothing to offer. You’re old news and I’d never want to be in that position. I have better things to do. I love my garden, even though I don’t spend much time working on it, but it fascinates me, like many other things in my life.”
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