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Ron Dennis Forced to Step Down as McLaren Chairman after Shareholder Dispute

McLaren's road car division might be riding the wave of success, but when it comes to the F1 team that started it all, the waters are troubled - Ron Dennis, the man who has led the team for the past 35 yeas has stepped down following a shareholder dispute.
Ron Dennis in his McLaren F1 role 4 photos
Photo: Formula1.com
McLaren P1 GTR and MP4/31 F1 Car with matching liveriesMcLaren P1 GTR and MP4/31 F1 Car with matching liveriesMcLaren P1 GTR and MP4/31 F1 Car with matching liveries
Denis, who owns 25 percent of the McLaren Group, left after the other two shareholders, Bahrain's Mumtalakat investment fund (50 percent) and Saudi-born businessman Mansour Ojeh (25 percent), who owns the TAG group, forced him to give up his position as chairman and chief executive officer of McLaren Group.

While the major shareholder considered Denis' domineering management approach doesn't suit the company's future, Ojleh, who gave up on his former friendship with the now-ousted chairman years ago, seemed to agree.

To highlight the importance of Ron Dennis' ousting we'll drop a small reminder of the man's 36-year McLaren F1 career. Under his lead, the team won seven constructor's titles, as well as ten driver's titles. And McLaren didn't just make the most out of collaborating with drivers such as Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen or Alain Prost over the years, as Dennis also superseded the growth of Lewis Hamilton, who went from rising star to world champion back in 2008.

Alas, Dennis, now 69, no longer seems to have the image of the man who can helm the crew towards victory. Over the past couple of years, McLaren has been away from the podium and the team's partnership with engine supplier Honda ended up bringing the worst season in its history last year.

While McLaren no longer wanted to have Mercedes supply their engines, as the Germans also run their own team, Honda wasn't prepared to bring back the glory its McLaren partnership enjoyed back in the 1980s and early 1990s.

However, Dennis, who joined Formula One at the age of 18 as a Cooper mechanic, maintains his board presence for both the Mclaren Technology Group and McLaren Automotive, the other two important structures of the giant.

As for Dennis' replacement, American businessman and former racing driver Zak Brown is expected to become the new McLaren Group chairman and chief executive.

With Dennis credited for an important part of F1 development as a sport over the years, this is the end of an era for the discipline altogether.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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