| The world of Formula One racing is dominated by | | | | at the end of a straight. With McLaren, it tended |
| strong personalities. Ron Dennis, team boss of | | | | to always be feast or famine when it came to |
| McLaren, certainly qualifies as one. With the | | | | performance under Ron Dennis. |
| announcement he will step down as boss on | | | | The one area where the leadership of Dennis |
| March 1, 2009, the end of an era will occur. | | | | simply cannot be questioned is on the business |
| It was 1980 when a floundering McLaren racing | | | | side. From a failed team, Dennis grew the |
| team combined its operation with the Project | | | | McLaren team and brand into a stunning financial |
| Four Racing Company of Ron Dennis. One year | | | | titan. When fined $100 million dollars in 2007, the |
| later, Dennis took over the Formula One operation | | | | team was able to handle the financial burden |
| and the beginning of an era began that would | | | | without being crippled and Dennis let slip the team |
| ultimately run nearly 29 years. | | | | pulls in many hundreds of millions of dollars each |
| Born in Woking, England, Dennis began working in | | | | year in revenues. One man is responsible for |
| Formula One at the age of 18 for the Cooper | | | | most of that stunning success - Ron Dennis. |
| Formula One Team, a privateer. Less than five | | | | The semi-retirement of Ron Dennis is not much |
| years later, Dennis started his first team with | | | | of a surprise. It has been a rough few years for |
| good and bad moments. Ultimately, he would start | | | | the man. Always touting himself as highly ethical |
| a number of teams in the Formula 2 and lower | | | | and in total control of his team, the spying |
| series, but never Formula One. Backed by Phillip | | | | episode revealed a man who was either boldly |
| Morris sponsorship, he would develop the Project | | | | lying or did not know what was happening within |
| Four team that would dominate Formula 2 and 3. | | | | his team. A divorce from his long time wife |
| At the same time, the Mclaren Formula One team | | | | certainly could not have helped during this period |
| was pretty much a laughing stock. Phillip Morris | | | | either. With an upturn in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton |
| and Dennis teamed up to buy the McLaren outfit. | | | | nipping Felipe Massa for the Driver's World |
| At the age of 34, Dennis Morris became a 30 | | | | Championship, the time to go for Ron Dennis |
| percent owner and boss of the team. | | | | never seemed better. |
| Over his career, Dennis has led McLaren to | | | | As with many of the giant personalities in Formula |
| stunning success and stunning failure. The team | | | | One, Ron Dennis will be missed. Watching the |
| has gone through periods of utter brilliance and | | | | clashing egos of Dennis, Max Mosley, Bernie |
| laughably poor performance. The dominance of | | | | Ecclestone and whomever was in charge of |
| Mika Hakkinan's car when winning the World | | | | Ferrari was nearly as interesting as watching the |
| Championship could be contrasted with the rear | | | | race. Love him or hate him, the loss of Ron |
| wing falling off the back of Kimi Raikkonen's car | | | | Dennis is a loss for F1. |