No return to F1 paddock for Ron Dennis

Former McLaren CEO and co-owner, Ron Dennis says he “will never go back” to the F1 paddock.

Speaking at the weekend, Christian Horner expressed his delight to have Flavio Briatore back in the sport.

“I want to say is how refreshing it is to have Flav back,” said the Red Bull boss. “I mean, he had a bit of time out, but it is so much fun,” he added. “These press conferences were so boring before you came back.”

Of course, much of that time spent outside the sport was the result of the former Renault boss’s role in the infamous Crash-gate saga, now conveniently consigned to history.

Another man who was never boring – verbose yes – but who never left the sport in disgrace was Ron Dennis.

At a time we often find history being re-written to suit a narrative, newcomers to the sport would be forgiven for not being aware that it was Dennis who bought into McLaren in 1980 and turned it into a world championship winning outfit. That his name is barely mentioned these days is a travesty.

With his ‘old team’ having won the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, and seemingly on the brink of doing the double this year, the 78-year-old harbours no interest in returning to the paddock, even for the day.

“I will never go back,” he told The Times recently. “You can imagine I’ve got children and grandchildren, and they’re pestering me about going. I will arrange it for them but I won’t go,” he insisted.

“The thing is, I witnessed people coming back to Formula 1 after they’d left,” he continued. “The thing is, your opinion is out of date, even if you’re a multiple world champion,” he added, a possible hint at those former drivers who have turned their hand to punditry.

“People are polite, everything you’d expect them to be. They will sit you down, they will give you a coffee, but you’ve got nothing to offer. You are a spare part and I would never want to be in that position. I’ve got better things to do.”

The Woking-born former British Business Ambassador for Manufacturing and Advanced Engineering, admits he is none too impressed with current TV coverage of the sport.

“I always turn the sound off, as I know too much about it to want to listen to the rubbish that some of these commentators come out with,” he says, presumably referring to the Sky F1 team since he is based in Britain.

In 2016, his team in decline, Dennis walked away from the sport, selling his stake in the team. However, he maintains a love for the sport.

“I watch for the purity of the race,” he says. “I love sport, still love watching grands prix.

“I love my garden,” he adds, “even if I don’t spend much time working in it myself, I am passionate about it, passionate about so many other things in my life.”

Known for his philanthropy, Dennis, who is estimated to be worth £450m, remains proud of his roots and has never sought to move to sunnier, more tax-friendly, climes.

“I am a passionate Brit,” he says. “It would give you a good headline if I told you how much tax I’d paid in my life. I’m not going to because it would become the dominant thing in the story.

“I love our diverse weather,” he continues. “I have friends who tell me they are on a 90-day system, and they’re sleeping in beds in a variety of places, Switzerland, Monte Carlo, Jersey, Guernsey, everywhere. And I say, ‘Why don’t you just pay the tax here?'”

At the height of the pandemic, Dennis, whose daughter is a nurse, donated £1m as he launched an initiative to provide free meals for NHS workers.

Then, as now, it was never about the money, just a deep, genuine, pure love of the sport.

You’ve got to love the guy.