It’s True, It’s True…
… F1 McLaren’s Ron Dennis is truely an insufferable prick of the first order! Sorry there is no other way to describe this.
After a week that saw Jaun Pablo Montoya switch to NASCAR and reportedly getting his contractual release for McLaren in order to “prepare professionally and personally for the future.” Bloviating fool Dennis steps up to the plate.
But McLaren team principal Ron Dennis appeared to reverse course during a news conference at the French Grand Prix on Friday. Dennis said it was “more than possible” that Montoya would race again for McLaren this year and said the driver wouldn’t be allowed to race or test in NASCAR.“Juan Pablo is contracted through to the end of the year,” Dennis said. “And if we so choose, he will test and race again. He still is contracted to us, unless there is some other commercial arrangement between ourselves and the NASCAR team or Juan himself.”
So there you have it. His duplicitous nature is astounding!
Dennis is not only back-tracking from his published remarks, “We have agreed that with so many things happening in Juan Pablo’s life right now, he should take some time out of the car and prepare professionally and personally for the future,” but also in direct contradiction to his own boss at McLaren, Norbert Haug.
“We believe that Juan Pablo’s decision to move to NASCAR is very important for him professionally and we will give him every support to ensure that it is a successful transition,” said Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.
Now Dennis is acting like an extortionist looking to extract a montary reward via a “commercial arrangement” for letting Montoya go! You have to ask yourself how many milllions Dennis is hopeing to skim off the top.
There isn’t a “Highway to Hell” for Dennis. For such a small man of such low character his ride to Hell would only require a handbasket.
Other Refs: Allan Brewer of Fast Machines notes the following is still posted on the McLaren Team website, “Team McLaren Mercedes and Juan Pablo Montoya have mutually agreed for him to step down in the forthcoming races of this year’s Formula 1 World Championship. The team has decided that Pedro de la Rosa will join Kimi Raikkonen in the race driver line-up.”
Yea, right until extortionist Dennis stepped in. There is also an excellent interview of Dennis posted in the comment section of that post.
F1, FIA, Formula One, Montoya, McLaren, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle
Although I never wrote about it at my site, or at yours, I had a sneeking suspicion that something like this would happen. Everything appeared to be on the up and up, but when everything looks rosey you must remeber to take off your rose-coloured glasses - something that a lot of us forgot to do in this case. As the infamous movie gangster once said, “never under-estimate another man’s greed”, and it holds true every time.
Ron Dennis is the boss at McLaren, not Norbert Haug. Haug is only an employee of Mercedes, who own 40% of the team.
I suspect Ron Dennis may have heard from a few sponsors.
And that’s my point Don, Dennis is a hired gun and nothing more. Haug even if in a minority role with 40% should and does hold more power.
Ron I’m not all that sure sponsors would care. Given Montoya’s recent performance they may look forward to the replacment with another driver.
I don’t totally agree with you on this on Marc, although your correct in calling Ron a prick, & anything else for that matter, including POOR LOSER.
Regardless,now that we know the manner in which JPM handed in is notice, I can kind of side with Ron.Juan is contracted to MM for 06 & (although released from the driving line up, something he has not protested) is therefore not free to start with Chip in 06.Frank Williams asked for a financial settlement when Button refused to fulfil his obligations, so Ron is entitled to ask the same of JPM IMHO.Notwithstanding the obvious commercial & sponsorship conflicts that would arise.
JPM is a idiot for leaving the door wide open for exactly this type of counter strike by Ron, which makes me believe JPM’s decision was very spontaneous & ill prepared.How did he think somebody with Ron’s pettiness was going to react?