Ron Dennis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Dennis
|
|
|---|---|
Dennis in 2016
|
|
| British Business Ambassador for Manufacturing / Advanced Engineering | |
| In office 2010 – 3 January 2019 Serving with Richard Olver and Robin Southwell
|
|
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Non-Executive Director for Science, Innovation and Technology | |
| In office 22 April 2023 – 21 April 2024 Serving with Alison Wolf, Tim Peake and Melissa Di Donato
|
|
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ronald Dennis
1 June 1947 Woking, Surrey, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Lisa
(m. 1986; div. 2008) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Guildford Technical College |
| Occupation |
|
| Employer | |
| Title | Team Principal |
| Known for |
|
Sir Ronald Dennis (born 1 June 1947) is a British businessman and a leader in motorsport. From 1981 to 2009, Dennis was the team principal, chief executive officer (CEO), and co-owner of McLaren in Formula One. During this time, McLaren won seven World Constructors' Championship titles. He also founded, chaired, and owned McLaren Group from 1985 to 2017, where he started McLaren Automotive in 2010.
Dennis began his career as a mechanic. He then created successful junior racing teams called Rondel Racing and Project Four Racing. In 1980, Project Four Racing took over the management of the McLaren team. Between 1981 and 2009, Dennis was the team principal of the McLaren Formula One team. He played a key role in making the team a regular winner of world championships. McLaren won championships with famous drivers like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, and Lewis Hamilton.
In 1985, Dennis founded McLaren Cars, which later became McLaren Automotive. This company built amazing supercars such as the F1 (1992), SLR (2003, with Mercedes-Benz), and P1 (2013). Besides McLaren Group, he is also a British Business Ambassador for advanced engineering and manufacturing. Dennis is a main trustee for Tommy's, a charity that helps families with difficult pregnancies. He is also a Global Consultant for China Minsheng Investment Group and the former owner of Absolute Taste.
Contents
Early Life and Racing Beginnings
Dennis was born and grew up in Woking, England. He studied motor vehicle engineering at Guildford Technical College. In 1966, at 18, he started working as a mechanic for the Cooper Formula One team. He worked with the lead driver, Jochen Rindt. When Rindt moved to Brabham in 1968, Dennis went with him. For the 1969 season, Rindt moved to Team Lotus, but Dennis stayed to work for Sir Jack Brabham.
When Brabham retired in 1971, Dennis and his friend Neil Trundle decided to start their own team. In 1971, they founded Rondel Racing in Woking. Dennis worked hard to find sponsors. He found support from Tony Vlassopulos and Ken Grob.
By the mid-1970s, Rondel Racing was very successful in Formula Two. Dennis wanted to build a Formula One car, but the energy crisis made it hard to get enough money. So, Dennis couldn't fund the F1 project.
Dennis then started a new F2 team called Project Three in 1975, which won races. In 1976, he founded Project Four Racing. This team achieved great success in Formula 2 and Formula 3, winning championships in 1979 and 1980. As his businesses grew, Dennis wanted to return to Formula One. He hired talented designer John Barnard to create a new F1 car.
Dennis's return to Formula One happened at the right time. The McLaren team had been struggling. So, a Philip Morris executive, John Hogan, arranged for Dennis's Project Four to take over McLaren. The team was renamed McLaren International, with Dennis in charge. He hired Barnard to design the team's new carbon fibre composite car, the MP4/1. Dennis also convinced Porsche to build engines for the cars from 1984 to 1987.
The 'MP4' in the car's name originally stood for Marlboro Project Four. After McLaren changed its main sponsor in 1997, the 'M' then stood for McLaren. This naming system continued until 2017, when it changed to 'MCL' after Dennis left.
Building McLaren's Success
The 1980s: A New Era
Before Dennis joined McLaren in September 1980, the team was not doing well. They hadn't won a Grand Prix since 1977. In 1981, Dennis and his partners bought out the other McLaren owners. In 1983, Dennis convinced Williams sponsor Mansour Ojjeh to become a partner in McLaren International. Ojjeh invested in Porsche-built turbocharged engines, which were named after his company, Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG).
Dennis then persuaded the retired champion Niki Lauda to return to Formula One for the 1982 season. By the end of that year, Lauda and his teammate John Watson had each won two races. In 1983, Alain Prost, who had finished second in the 1983 Drivers' Championship, joined McLaren. With Lauda and Prost, the team was ready to challenge for the title in 1984.
In just four years, Dennis had turned McLaren into a top team. In 1984, with Barnard's amazing MP4/2 car, McLaren won 12 of 16 races and both the drivers' and constructors' titles. Lauda won the drivers' championship by a tiny half-point over Prost. The McLaren-TAG cars were incredibly reliable. The next year, Prost won his first World Championship. In 1986, McLaren lost to Williams, but Prost still won the drivers' title.
Dennis signed Ayrton Senna to join McLaren for three years starting in 1988. Honda also agreed to supply engines to McLaren. In 1988, McLaren was incredibly dominant, winning 15 of 16 races and taking 15 of 16 pole positions. They won both the drivers' and constructors' titles easily. Senna won his first World Championship. Dennis had to manage the growing rivalry between Senna and Prost.
By mid-1989, it was very difficult to keep the two drivers happy. Their rivalry became very intense, especially after a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. This crash took Prost out of the race and led to Senna's disqualification, giving Prost his third World Championship.
The 1990s: Challenges and Comebacks
At the start of the 1990s, McLaren continued to be strong, with Ayrton Senna winning titles in 1990 and 1991. However, by 1992, Williams became the dominant team. McLaren did not win another title for seven years. After losing Honda engines in 1993, Dennis had to find new engine partners. A partnership with Peugeot in 1994 didn't work out as hoped. In October 1994, Dennis made a deal with Mercedes-Benz to supply engines from 1995 onwards. This partnership lasted until 2014.
The first few seasons with McLaren-Mercedes were tough. There were problems with the engine and car design. Mika Häkkinen became the team's lead driver. By the mid-1990s, Dennis was guiding his team back to the top. In 1996, he convinced Williams's star designer Adrian Newey to join McLaren. In 1998, McLaren won both the drivers' and constructors' titles with Mika Häkkinen. Häkkinen won a second drivers' title in 1999.
The 2000s: New Rivals
In 2000, Dennis was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to motorsport.
In 2005, McLaren returned to being a top team after a difficult year in 2004. They won more Grand Prix races than any other team that year. However, they were just beaten by the Renault F1 team in both championships. In December 2005, McLaren announced a major sponsorship deal with Vodafone and signed World Champion Fernando Alonso for 2007. McLaren had a tough 2006 season, not winning any races for the first time since 1996.
The 2007 season saw McLaren as strong contenders for the world championships with both Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton fighting for the drivers' title. However, the team faced challenges due to the rivalry between Alonso and Hamilton. The season was also known for a controversy where the team was found to have used Ferrari's secret information. As a result, McLaren was fined $100 million and lost all their constructor championship points for the season.
Final Years at McLaren
Ron Dennis initially owned all of McLaren. In 1983, he sold 50% of the team to Mansour Ojjeh. In 2000, DaimlerChrysler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group AG), which supplied engines, bought 40% of the TAG McLaren Group. Dennis and Ojjeh each kept a 30% share.
In January 2007, the Mumtalakat Holding Company (Bahrain's investment fund) bought 15% each from Dennis and Ojjeh. In November 2009, Mercedes bought another team, and McLaren bought back Daimler's 40% share. The shares were then split, with Mumtalakat Holding Company owning 50%, and Dennis and Ojjeh each owning 25%.
Dennis stepped down as CEO of McLaren in 2009 but returned in 2014. His relationship with Ojjeh became difficult, and in November 2016, Dennis was suspended from his role as chairman. His contract with McLaren ended in January 2017. In June 2017, he sold his remaining shares in McLaren Technology Group and McLaren Automotive.
Other Businesses and Activities
Dennis has owned shares in and founded many companies. In 1998, he co-founded Absolute Taste, a catering company. Absolute Taste was acquired by One Event Management in December 2016.
Until 2019, Dennis was a business ambassador for the UK Government, working for the Department of International Trade. He also serves as a Global Adviser for the Chinese investment group, Minsheng Investment.
Mansour Ojjeh and TAG Group bought the luxury watchmaker Heuer, forming TAG Heuer. Ojjeh sold a large part of the business to Dennis, and both partners sold the watchmaker to LVMH in 1999.
In 2007, Dennis started a charity called Dreamchasing. Its goal is to "help young people achieve their dreams and become inspiring role models." The charity's first project helped over 40 families in Ethiopia out of poverty and paid for some children's education.
Communication Style
"Ronspeak" is a term used to describe Ron Dennis's way of speaking. It refers to his use of complex and careful language when answering questions from Formula One journalists.
Even though some people use the term to criticize him, many, like former F1 Racing editor-in-chief Matt Bishop, believe "Ronspeak" is actually very informative and accurate. For example, when Dennis described Fernando Alonso's help to the McLaren team, he said Alonso's experience "prevented an F1 team from going down technical cul-de-sacs – and as a result, car-developmental progress becomes more linear." Bishop said this was a great example of Ronspeak because it was "logical, informative and insightful," and also careful not to compare Alonso to other drivers.
Personal Life
On 15 February 2008, Dennis announced his separation and later divorce from his wife of 22 years, Lisa. They have three children.
In March 2011, Dennis was banned from driving for six months due to getting too many points on his license.
He is a donor to the Conservative Party. In May 2019, Dennis was ranked 304th on the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated wealth of £450 million.
Awards and Honours
- 1996 De Montfort University Honorary Doctorate
- 1997 City University London Honorary Doctorate
- 2000 Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to motorsport.
- 2000 University of Surrey Honorary Doctorate
- 2001 British Racing Drivers' Club Gold Medal
- 2007 British Racing Drivers' Club Colin Chapman Trophy.
- 2008 British Racing Drivers' Club Gold Medal
- 2008 Royal Academy of Engineering Prince Philip Medal
- 2009 Guild of Motoring Writers's President's Trophy
- 2013 University of Bath Honorary Doctorate
- 2017 American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award
In the 2024 New Year Honours, Dennis was appointed Knight Bachelor for his services to industry and to charity.
See also
In Spanish: Ron Dennis para niños
