{"id":44312,"date":"2025-04-23T16:43:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/44312\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:43:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:43:13","slug":"how-mclaren-moved-the-goalposts-amid-another-f1-rivalry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/44312\/","title":{"rendered":"How McLaren moved the goalposts amid another F1 rivalry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAyrton, we\u2019ve decided to forget the Rio test. We\u2019ll shake the new cars down at Silverstone instead, on Thursday and Friday of this week\u2026\u201d Ron Dennis let the words hang in the air, and with a broad grin listened for the world champion\u2019s response across the 5000-mile telephone link separating Rio from McLaren<\/a> International\u2019s Woking headquarters. Cupping the palm of his hand over the mouthpiece, he whispered, \u201cHe\u2019s not quite sure if I mean it\u201d.<\/p>\n

One thing\u2019s almost certain: most of the opposition would indeed be delighted if McLaren\u2019s managing director hadn\u2019t been joking. They would have liked the new MP4\/5-Honda to go to Silverstone \u2013 and stay there right through the forthcoming Easter weekend. Ever since 1984, when the definitive McLaren-TAG burst victoriously onto the scene in Rio, there have been few teams whose new grand prix cars have been awaited with such a feeling of overwhelming apprehension on the part of their rivals.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

But, I tried to suggest, perhaps things are going to be different this year. I mean, as many people have hinted with glee, all\u2019s not been smooth with the progress of the new car, has it? Problems with the new transverse gearbox at Monza? Anyway, why is it so late?<\/p>\n

Dennis fixed the interviewer with a world-weary stare before reiterating a strand of home-spun McLaren philosophy. \u201cYou probably don\u2019t know this, but the Friday before last, everyone at McLaren went home at 4:30 in the afternoon\u2026\u201d My face must have betrayed my ignorance. What point was he trying to make?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may find it hard to believe,\u201d he continued, \u201cbut we\u2019re trying to make McLaren International operate like a normal company. By that, I mean we\u2019re deliberately trying to resist slipping into the \u2018well let\u2019s work all the hours God made\u2019 approach because that way all you end up with is a totally exhausted workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t get much more productivity if you try to work everybody from seven in the morning until 10 at night \u2013 and you get a lot less working round the clock. So even if you\u2019re up against it, the laws of diminishing returns apply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Put simply, what Dennis and his colleagues are attempting to do is even out the inevitable troughs and peaks attendant on the practical operation of a grand prix team. Probably the most crucial \u2013 and cyclical \u2013 aspect of the whole F1 business is the amount of effort which needs to be extracted from the actual production capability of any such organisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe request our staff to produce degrees of effort that are impossible to sustain for a lengthy period,\u201d he explains, \u201cso even though we\u2019ve been in a tight situation with the new car, our people have always been having their Sundays off. OK, for the last two or three days before the cars are freighted to Rio this might not be the case, but even then they probably won\u2019t be far short of their normal times.<\/p>\n

\"After <\/p>\n

After 1988, Dennis aimed to oversee McLaren’s momentum and balance its delicate driver pairing of Senna and Prost<\/p>\n

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI can hear some people saying, \u2018Well, crikey, if you\u2019d have all worked all hours, you could have got the cars and all the spares out of Rio for the final test\u2019. But my response to that would be that we\u2019re not just gearing ourselves for the Brazilian GP. This is about going through the whole season with a continuous level of commitment and motivation. That\u2019s what we\u2019re aiming for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis argues that, in effect, the new car is not late at all, making the point that the MP4\/5 should be a well-tried, and therefore hopefully reliable, mechanical package from the moment it rolls out into the pitlane at the Autodromo Nelson Piquet.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery other factor on it will be fully proven, either because it\u2019s a development of some component that has existed before, or it has been evaluated and tested on our two development cars,\u201d he insists briskly.<\/p>\n

The overall benefit accruing to the team\u2019s effort from the intensive winter V10 test programme is something that simply cannot be underestimated.<\/p>\n

\n

“What happened to McLaren in 1988 has no relevance at all to McLaren in 1989 as regards the expectations of the people involved” Ron Dennis<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cPeople tend to forget that, between the MP4\/4 and the definitive new car, we\u2019ve built two new test cars which have allowed us to do an enormous amount of evaluation and development of both the engine and chassis components,\u201d he says with quiet satisfaction. \u201cBy the time we get out onto the starting grid the only thing left will be to ask, \u2018Have we put it together right?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmittedly, the MP4\/5 has an aerodynamic package that wasn\u2019t on the test car, but that\u2019s simply because we didn\u2019t want people to see what we\u2019d got until the first race. So, if other teams claim that their cars were running a fortnight ago, we can effectively \u2013 and accurately \u2013 reply, \u2018We\u2019ve been running our equivalent of your car for the past six months\u2019. It\u2019s what you end up with in Brazil that really counts\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The McLaren team feels quietly confident about its new machine, but one is bound to wonder whether there isn\u2019t a sense of over-expectancy, inevitably bred out of 15 wins in 16 races last season. Did he feel that the workforce would be bitterly disappointed if, say, they could \u2018only\u2019 win between 10 and 12 races this season?<\/p>\n

\"Dennis <\/p>\n

Dennis felt McLaren’s 1988 domination had no bearing on the upcoming 1989 season<\/p>\n

Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d he fires back firmly. \u201cNot at all. Everybody here knows the philosophy of the company and fully understands that last year was an unusual situation for a variety of reasons and this year\u2019s situation is a clean sheet of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

However, he quickly throws a cold water shower of reality over those over-optimistic teams who believe that everybody starts equal with the advent of the naturally aspirated era.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is just ridiculous to suggest that everybody is starting from the same point in Brazil on Sunday. It\u2019s not the case at all, and those people who believe that are in for a shock. The point I\u2019m making is that what happened to McLaren in 1988 has no relevance at all to McLaren in 1989 as regards the expectations of the people involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

So who catches the eye when he scans the horizon for potential opposition in 1989? A lengthy pause follows as Ron considers the question in detail.<\/p>\n

Approvingly, he reminds me that things might be about to look up at Ferrari<\/a> in the wake of Cesare Fiorio\u2019s appointment as successor to Pier-Giorgio Cappelli. Dennis has a keen appreciation that Fiat has the resources which, if marshalled correctly, could get Maranello firmly back on the competitive track.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving said that, though, its current efforts to wrestle with all its problems are effectively minimising its effectiveness as a GP team,\u201d he concludes. \u201cIt\u2019s a long way from what it needs to be. It knows it, we know it, the world knows it. So I can\u2019t see it, in the initial part of the season, being much of a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Ron\u2019s view, it\u2019s the Williams-Renault combination that needs watching. He grins: \u201cI think it will start the season in perhaps better shape than it claims it is at the present time. If it\u2019s trying to fool us, all I can say is that we\u2019re certainly under no illusions about the fact that it\u2019ll be going into the first race with a very well-sorted car. We just hope our chassis and engine will be better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that respect, I believe we\u2019re going to Brazil having done the best possible job we can. Taking reliability out of the equation, if we don\u2019t succeed, then I won\u2019t look back and say our team didn\u2019t do the best possible job.<\/p>\n

\"Dennis <\/p>\n

Dennis saw Williams as McLaren’s biggest threat for 1989, but it was Mansell and Ferrari that took victory in the opener<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as far as the other teams are concerned, I\u2019m not too worried about any others \u2013 at least, not on a continuously consistent basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the off-season there have been rumours circulating about the intense discussion and debate, particularly in FOCA meetings, over the interpretation and application of the current F1 technical regulations concerning footwell specification. In essence, some people have been getting away with a liberal interpretation of the rule which demands box sections extending the length of the monocoque right through to the bulkhead in front of the driver\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n

Word has it that McLaren, on the receiving end of what Dennis clearly regards as nit-picking \u2018over scrutineering\u2019 throughout 1988, seems unlikely to take an over-indulgent attitude to such people next season.<\/p>\n

\n

“If people have a problem in this business, they should be up-front about it. Let me make it clear; McLaren is not putting itself up as whiter than white, but if there\u2019s an edge to have, then we\u2019ll take it” Ron Dennis<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Again, Dennis picked his words scrupulously: \u201cI don\u2019t think, in fact, that there is any controversy over the regulations. We feel, as a team, that the rules should be applied equally to all competitors, irrespective of where they finish a race. So if a car that finishes ninth is illegal in some area, it should be identified as such and lose its ninth place. Nobody should be given an automatic licence not to comply with the regulations just because, say, they are making up numbers at the back of the grid.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then reflected back on McLaren\u2019s experiences in 1988: \u201cThe fact is that cars which find themselves in the winner\u2019s circle regularly are doubly scrutineered, but when, let\u2019s say, an outsider finds itself in the winner\u2019s circle, some people seem to think that this is so refreshing that the same degree of thoroughness is not applied to its scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused. \u201cThere were times last year when, in McLaren\u2019s opinion and with our knowledge, some cars were running illegally. Now, there were certain elements of those cars which we felt were grey enough to require a reinforcement to the rules last November \u2013 early enough to make sure that everybody built their 1989 cars fully to comply with the regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basically, Dennis thinks the whole business smacks of double standards, a viewpoint made all the more acute by what he regards as the somewhat devious manner in which \u2018complaints\u2019 about last year\u2019s MP4\/4 were voiced by one or two rival teams.<\/p>\n

\"McLaren's <\/p>\n

McLaren’s team boss had to fend off questions of legality over its supreme MP4\/4<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThe professional teams will usually come along and say, \u2018Look, we don\u2019t believe this is right, and if you don\u2019t do something about it, we\u2019ll perhaps have to protest you\u2019. That\u2019s in contrast to those who sneak round, whinging and moaning to the officials, the sort of objections that were reflected in the number of times we had to empty and refill our cars last season, as well as removing and refitting the fuel bag itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people have a problem in this business, they should be up-front about it. Let me make it clear; McLaren is not putting itself up as whiter than white, but if there\u2019s an edge to have, then we\u2019ll take it. But McLaren believes that its cars comply with the regulations all the time \u2013 and knows that some other people\u2019s do not.\u201d<\/p>\n

However much Dennis may be annoyed by this petty pitlane bickering, his support for F1 is complete and unequivocal. And no matter what you might hear in other areas about there being plans afoot to switch the spotlight onto other major international categories, the McLaren boss remains utterly convinced of F1\u2019s assured future as the sport\u2019s absolute pinnacle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I honestly don\u2019t believe there is anybody in motorsport who, hand on heart, believes otherwise,\u201d he says firmly. Moreover, he is specially critical of the line taken by Daimler-Benz AG director Jurgen Hubbert, who sought to justify the Mercedes<\/a> decision against F1. Hubbert stated that Mercedes is staying in Group C because that\u2019s where they can compete with other manufacturers \u2013 \u201cand I\u2019m not talking about manufacturers of cigarettes and sausages\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI must say that I took great exception to that remark,\u201d Ron responds coldly. \u201cThe financing of a GP team has absolutely nothing to do with the technology or technological challenge that\u2019s reflected in F1, or indeed is required to succeed in F1.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the Mercedes decision which was portrayed in the media was a decision taken and then subsequently justified. I don\u2019t think the logic preceding the decision was necessarily reflected in the statements that were made after that decision was taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis has nothing further to say on that specific point, but it is easy to reach the conclusion voiced by several of the McLaren team\u2019s rivals: namely, Mercedes opted to stay in Group C simply because it couldn\u2019t find a strong enough partner to form with in F1. Once it had made that decision, it was left with the task of having to explain it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what [Sauber-Mercedes Group C sponsor] AEG makes, other than dishwashers, washing machines or oven grills, but I don\u2019t see any difference at all between a Group C racing programme being funded by a dishwasher and grill maker and the worldwide institutions that fund the engineering efforts of the GP teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Despite <\/p>\n

Despite showing interest in other categories, Dennis reaffirmed McLaren’s place in F1<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

Pause. \u201cThe fact is that it makes strong commercial sense to advertise a consumer product through motorsport themes. There\u2019s nothing wrong with AEG, just as there\u2019s nothing wrong with the people who use F1, and I believe Mercedes was wrong to make those veiled criticisms.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the recent Geneva Motor Show, Dennis referred to a future structuring of the company, hinting at exciting new plans. Pressed to elaborate, he steadfastly refuses to give anything away, yet merely admits that sustaining McLaren International as a competitive GP-winning force will remain the very highest priority in years to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in the future you will see me spending more time running the company in a management role,\u201d he admits, adding somewhat enigmatically. \u201cMuch as I would love to do other things, I have to be disciplined and this is the best place for me to apply what expertise I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, McLaren International stands on the verge of yet another season as the perceived man to beat, the team everybody else would love to topple from its pedestal. The team with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost on its driving strength. What about those two, then? How will they get on?<\/p>\n

\n

“It\u2019s not the competition that exists at present, but what might exist in the future, that really worries me” Ron Dennis<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The slightly pained smile surfaces again. \u201cI think both of them will be slightly different,\u201d he replies, \u201cin the sense that they\u2019ll move slightly towards each other\u2026\u201d Smartly, I try interjecting, \u201cWhat, you mean like at Estoril?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another schoolmasterly frown. \u201cThey\u2019ll move towards each other in the sense that Alain will be slightly more intense and committed, while Ayrton will ease up on his intensity, without losing any of his commitment. That will make for a better ambience\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Obviously, the level of success enjoyed by McLaren International over the season past doesn\u2019t come easily. But if Ron Dennis had to pinpoint one single area which marked out the team as different from its rivals, what aspect would he nominate?<\/p>\n

\"As <\/p>\n

As it turned out, Dennis wasn’t able to maintain harmony between Senna and Prost at McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: Ercole Colombo<\/p>\n

The ensuing pause was of a duration calculated to make me wonder if he was dozing off. \u201cStrategic forward planning,\u201d was his reply. Could he elaborate? \u201cPeople in this business tend to define good fortune as being in the right place at the right time. I don\u2019t agree. I think you have to have a strategy specifically directed towards landing on the square that\u2019s going up the ladder and not down the snake.\u201d<\/p>\n

He left me with a remark which will most certainly send a chill down the spine of the opposition. \u201cOur long-term aim is to raise the stake of the F1 game yet again,\u201d he said firmly.<\/p>\n

Put simply, as rivals get a foothold on McLaren\u2019s current competitive level, Ron Dennis wants his team to be disappearing up onto the next ledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to gear up to take on the competition, whatever is around,\u201d he finishes thoughtfully. \u201cIt\u2019s not the competition that exists at present, but what might exist in the future, that really worries me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The 1989 season would turn out to be one of McLaren’s most dramatic in its grand prix racing history<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

Alan Henry\n<\/p>\n

Formula 1\n<\/p>\n

McLaren\n<\/p>\n

Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics<\/p>\n

Subscribe to news alerts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAyrton, we\u2019ve decided to forget the Rio test. We\u2019ll shake the new cars down at Silverstone instead, on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[4199,707,4200,1710,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-44312","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-f1","9":"tag-formula-1","10":"tag-formula1","11":"tag-mclaren","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114388285152906139","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}