Ron Dennis fired from Mercedes- McLaren?

The Spanish daily sports newspaper Marca says McLaren team head Ron Dennis has been fired from his job as chief of the Formula One team. It says official confirmation will be sent to the world media shortly.

Dennis, who has run the team since the 1980s and still owns 15 percent of it, has been dogged by claims that he has been under severe pressure to resign after last season’s debacle in which the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team was fined a record USD100 million for their role in the spygate saga. Not only that, the team was docked all their constructor’s points, ending up with no points at all for the season. This after leading the driver’s championship, which it also did not win, for most of the year.

Ron’s deputy Martin Whitmarsh is said to be the one who will take over the embattled team. Doom may be safely predicted at Woking, for Dennis has been to McLaren what Flavio Briatore has been to Renault. He is the F1 godfather of championship hopeful, rookie-of-the-year Lewis Hamilton. What this claimed departure will do for team morale ahead of the season’s start in Australia in a couple of weeks time will only be seen if and when Dennis walks out of this, considered his second marriage.