Ron dennis biography book

1. Ron Dennis: A Mastermind in Formula One
2. The Role of Ambition and Support
3. Overcoming Challenges
4. Respect for Frank Williams
5. The Importance of Teamwork
6. The Legacy of Bruce McLaren
7. The Thrill of Victory
8. The Shadow of Michael Schumacher
9. Inequality in Formula One

Ron Dennis: A Mastermind in Formula One

Matt Bishop, editor of the British magazine "F1Racing," recently conducted one of the most revealing and comprehensive interviews with Ron Dennis.Known for his reticence to give interviews and his deliberate, measured speech, Dennis is famously known for his honesty. "It's 35 years since you first got involved in Formula One," Bishop began. "Did you ever imagine it would lead to this?"

Dennis was frank in his response:"No, because what you'd call 'this' didn't exist then. You had a racing team which was run either by an ex-driver or a wealthy owner who did it as a hobby. Then you had the drivers and a group of guys who were called mechanics, who did nearly everything else. It was a different world. Eight or so races a year, prize money that only came into being toward the end. Cars ran under national flags—no sponsor names in team titles. And it was very dangerous.

I remember in 1964, before Cooper, I was just a tea boy at Brabham, and I saw our driver—Dan Gurney—getting into the car. He had a pair of short overalls, gloves, and boots that had holes cut in them because his feet were so big they wouldn't fit in properly. His toes were sticking out. No seatbelts, rudimentary helmets. I wanted to be a racing driver then, but that idea was quickly knocked out of my head after three or four years in the sport, simply because of the sheer number of people who were being killed, maimed, or injured."

The Role of Ambition and Support

Bishop continued, "Initially Formula One was the realm of the brave, which you alluded to. How did you, by comparison, feel about yourself?"

Dennis declined the suggestion that he felt inferior: "No, that's not it. You knew how good the standard in Formula One was. And there was an established pecking order. That was the nature of things back then."

Bishop noted Dennis's composed demeanor over a glass of Chablis and asked whether he was ready to continue the conversation.

Dennis outlined the importance of ambition and support in achieving success: "I was extraordinarily ambitious from an early age. I still am. Many people find that wanting something very badly is a key motivation. That's the way I've turned out. Every time you reach a target, you strive for something beyond that. That's what a leader has to be.

But no achievement is ever made in isolation. You need support around you, and I've had that, both then and now. The popular image of Ron Dennis as an ice cube sitting in his Spartan office and coldly, clinically planning for the future is inaccurate. I try to focus on the key issues and not get distracted. I work very hard."

Overcoming Challenges

Bishop questioned Dennis about his reputation as a cold, calculating individual:"The root of it, I think, is my shyness. Extreme shyness. It's not a lack of confidence—that's not the case at all. I despise small talk, particularly in the workplace. I like to win, and losing really, really hurts. I can get very fiery sometimes when I see that not everyone on the team feels the same pain that I do. It's the reason why I like to deal with setbacks in public, at a team briefing. It's become harder to do this in recent times, as McLaren now employs nearly 900 people. But the principle—that everyone should be properly informed about what's going on—remains the same."

Bishop commented on the sincerity of Dennis's feelings, having heard similar accounts from others:"I'm told that you care deeply about your employees, and I believe you."

Respect for Frank Williams

In discussing Dennis's career, Bishop highlighted his enduring rivalry with Frank Williams:"Between you and Frank, only you and Frank have been able to stop Ferrari in the last 20 years. I know you have enormous respect for him. How close are you, really?"

Dennis began by expressing gratitude that Williams hadn't hired him in the early 1970s: "A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. His team has had its ups and downs, as have we. Our relationship has been tested in the heat of championship battles. We trust each other. We're friends. Real friends in Formula One are very few and far between. We had a tough time with Tyrrell keeping up the resolve for the Concorde Agreement in 1997, but we came through. All the teams benefited as a result. I admire the way Frank has worked, the way he has overcome adversity. He never complains, never seeks sympathy, and he always puts on a brave face. No, I really do admire him."

Bishop inquired about the frequency of their discussions:"Do you talk much?"

Dennis confirmed regular contact on matters beyond McLaren's interests: "Yes, if it's something that's affecting the wider Formula One, like the actions of the FIA. He'll be the first person I'll ring, and vice versa. I see him quite a bit during the weekends; he rings me every Sunday between races. We think alike and we run our businesses very similarly. Same passion, same drivers."

The Importance of Teamwork

Bishop questioned the viability of an individual running a modern-day Formula One team single-handedly:"Is it true, though, that the idea of a single person running a Formula One team in the 21st century is history?"

Dennis firmly rejected that notion: "It never has been the case, and it never will be the case, that a team's success can be attributed to one individual. I have said already today that you do not do it without the support of talented, dedicated, and hardworking people around you. People say Churchill won the war. He did it with millions of unsung heroes.

It started with the team's founder—Bruce McLaren with Teddy Mayer, then came my turn, and then someone else will come along. I am indebted to those people who put down the foundations, to those who have worked for McLaren, who work for McLaren now, and who will work for McLaren in the future."

The Legacy of Bruce McLaren

Bishop noted that Dennis had never changed the team's name from "McLaren" to "Dennis" despite the trend toward personalized team names:"After all, Williams is Williams. Jordan is Jordan. Sauber is Sauber. Prost is Prost..."

Dennis acknowledged the opportunities for renaming but expressed his reverence for Bruce McLaren's values: "Yes, certainly. The opportunity to name the team differently has come up many times, but I have a passion for the values that were established by Bruce McLaren, and I'm sure that if he were around today he would be very proud of the team. That's worth more than having a team named after the leader of the day. You create a brand that is not subject to the whims of a single individual. Think about it—Microsoft isn't called 'Gates,' is it?"

The Thrill of Victory

Despite his long tenure in the sport, Bishop asked Dennis whether he still felt the excitement of Formula One:"At Spa last year, for example, what did you feel when Mika Häkkinen overtook Michael Schumacher, won the race, and took the championship lead?"

Dennis responded with genuine enthusiasm: "That's adrenaline, that's excitement, that's hairs on the back of the neck stuff. You never lose that. But I get an equal buzz when David Coulthard does something like that. At Magny-Cours last year, David passed and repassed Michael and went on to win the race. And 80 percent of that feeling comes when it's a driver for another team, not McLaren."

Bishop expressed skepticism, prompting Dennis to elaborate:"Oh, absolutely! Although I admit that there's a lot more pride when it's one of our drivers because it becomes a personal thing. It's like when my children—Charlotte, 13, Christian, 10, and Francesca, 7—bring home good school reports. There's nothing wrong with taking pleasure in the achievements of people who are close to you. But I don't go jumping around and shouting, so people say I'm cold and arrogant—which I'm not. It's a natural reaction."

The Shadow of Michael Schumacher

Bishop continued to probe Dennis's sincerity:"Allow me to test your honesty. You say that you experience 80 percent of the thrill of the Spa moment if, for example, Luciano Burti overtakes Pedro de la Rosa."

Dennis clarified his statement: "That's not a very good example. I have nothing against Burti or de la Rosa, but I was thinking of an incident involving two top-flight drivers. Maybe involving Michael Schumacher and somebody else. I like seeing him overtaken; I don't buy into the 'Mr. Untouchable' thing. First Ayrton Senna and then Michael Schumacher have, I think, created an aura around themselves—that they can do no wrong. Rightly or wrongly, I believe that if other drivers made the sort of start-line moves that Schumacher does, they would be penalized."

Bishop recognized Dennis's growing annoyance:"Ah! Now we're getting somewhere."

Inequality in Formula One

Bishop asked Dennis why he believed excellent drivers often make poor team bosses:"Why do you think that? (I should say that this is a general question; I'm not casting aspersions on Alain