Ron Dennis to "retire" from McLaren F1 team
Martin Whitmarsh will take over from Ron Dennis as McLaren’s team principal from March 1, Dennis announced at the MP4-24 launch on Friday.
Dennis will remain as chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group but hand over the day-to-day running of the Formula 1 team, which he has controlled since 1981, to his long-time number two and current team CEO Whitmarsh.
Dennis revealed the management change in answer to the final question of a press conference with journalists at the team’s Woking base, with the 61-year-old insisting it was the "right time" for him to step aside and that it had been “100% my decision”.
He added that he would now concentrate on other projects within the McLaren Group, which he is a 15% shareholder of, but that he wasn’t totally cutting his ties with F1 and would still attend some grands prix in 2009.
Responding to a question about his 2009 plans, Dennis said: “The first thing I’m going to do is work harder.
“I intend to raise my own game because I think everybody in our organisation at every level realises that this is a tough period in which we are going to work.
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