You have nothing to offer. At 78, Ron Dennis observes Formula 1 with a critical eye but without bitterness. Architect of McLaren’s success starting in 1980, craftsman of the Senna-Prost era, and mentor to Lewis Hamilton, he remains a key figure in the modern history of the sport. However, unlike other former executives or drivers, he will never set foot in the paddock again.<\/p>\n
“I will never go back,” he told the Times. “You can imagine that I have children and grandchildren, and they bother me about this. I’ll arrange it for them, but I won’t go.”<\/p>\n
Why such a distance? I’ve seen people return to Formula 1 after leaving it. The problem is that your opinion is outdated, even if you are a multiple world champion. People are polite, that’s all you expect from them. They sit you down, they serve you a coffee, but you have nothing to offer. You’re a spare part and I would never want to be in that position. I have better things to do.<\/p>\n
If he no longer goes to the circuits, Dennis continues to follow the Grand Prix. But in his own way: without sound.<\/p>\n
\u00ab I always mute the sound because I know too much to want to listen to the nonsense some commentators might say \u00bb, he explains, probably referring to Sky F1’s coverage, of which he is a British viewer. A blunt critique that contrasts with Christian Horner’s enthusiastic statements about Flavio Briatore’s return to the paddocks: \u00ab It’s refreshing to see Flav back. Those press conferences were so boring before you came back \u00bb, rejoiced the Red Bull boss.<\/p>\n
Ron Dennis, for his part, was never sidelined from F1 due to a scandal. His withdrawal in 2016 followed McLaren’s decline in competitiveness, but it never tarnished his reputation. However, his name is rarely mentioned in current discussions, which some observers consider an injustice.<\/p>\n
Between philanthropy, a passion for sports, and a love of gardening, Dennis now leads a discreet but committed life. Estimated at 450 million pounds, he notably donated a million during the pandemic to fund meals for NHS caregivers. It was never about the money, he recalls.<\/p>\n
Deeply British, he never sought to exile himself for tax reasons. “I am a passionate Briton,” he asserts. “You would have a good headline if I told you how much tax I have paid in my life. But I won’t do it, because that would be the only thing highlighted in the article.”<\/p>\n
And to conclude, not without a touch of irony: “I love our changing weather. I have friends on a 90-day system, sleeping in beds in Monaco, Switzerland, Jersey, everywhere. And I tell them, \u2018Why wouldn’t you pay your taxes here?'”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
McLaren’s iconic former boss Ron Dennis has ruled out a return to Formula 1. Discreet but still passionate, the Briton now prefers to watch the Grand Prix from a distance and cultivate a life far from the spotlight, without nostalgia or regrets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":44994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1749],"tags":[467,947,1374],"class_list":["post-31845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","category-news","tag-grand-prix-despagne","tag-mclaren","tag-ron-dennis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n