Ron Dennis to hand reins to Martin Whitmarsh

[Jack_Bauer]

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has revealed that as of this season he will be taking more a back seat role in the running of the McLaren F1 team. He has been rumoured to have been considering at least semi-retirement for a couple of years after the stresses of the "Spygate" scandal and the breakdown of his marriage. Now it seems he has decided, after seeing his protege Lewis Hamilton win the championship last season, that this is the right moment to take a step back from the day-to-day running of the Formula 1 team. The team's operations at race weekends will now be left in the capable hands of long-time McLaren man Martin Whitmarsh.

The 61 year old Dennis has been with McLaren for over 28 years and has guided the company to huge success in that period with the likes of Lauda, Prost, Senna, Hakkinen and Hamilton all becoming World Champions with the team. Dennis will remain with the company as full executive director, and will focus more of his time on McLaren's projects away from the race track. He made the announcement at the launch of the team's 2009 F1 challenger, the MP4-24

First thing I am going to do is work harder, that is the first target.

I intend to raise my own game because I think everybody in our organisation at every level realises this is a tough period in which we are going to work and of course we are a very diverse organisation now.

We have a clear intention for our production car programme which is really a challenge. Any product we bring to the market will certainly fall the other side of this financial period.

I stress nothing to get too excited about but it is absolutely time for Martin to take over as team principal. As from March 1 he will adopt that responsibility. I will still go to races, not all of them, because I am passionate.

I intend to work harder and will take on greater responsibility in the group. I will be full executive chairman. It is time and I have to say it is absolutely 100 percent my decision. It is what I want to do, but I do intend to work much harder.

Don't see it as some sort of retirement, I want to work harder in other areas and having to plan those tasks around the GP calendar is disruptive to the process. It is a job that Martin will embrace and enjoy.

It is a job over the years we have shared anyway, but it will be his decision to influence things at a grand prix circuit.