I think it was more a case of whitmarsh, as the guy at the top, had to be held ultimately responsible for the perceived poor performance overall, as a team is only as strong as its management. Domenicali went from Ferrari for the same reason, the poor performance of the team was the result, overall, of poor management. Both teams have good and bad engineers etc within them, a good manager recognises this, trains and guides where necessary, fires others, and manages to produce a great product. Both men went as their management did not reap the rewards expected and possible.
Surely if you honestly believe Whitmarsh made a "massive mistake" you can explain what it was? - Otherwise it's just an empty statement and a completely pointless post! based on the style of your post: Ron Dennis has made a massive mistake and has to go!
Do you know how big business works ?? Whitmarsh was accountable for the success of the organization HE FAILED HENCE FIRED If the board is unhappy with Ron they can remove him if they wish to - END OF STORY
Alonso released a statement saying how much more advance and fun Le Mans is compared to F1. I think he will be heading to sports cars soon enough.
To make things worse, Alonso's engine got destroyed after being rammed by Raikkonen so he'll get another penalty in Silverstone. I think that FIA should allow free engine replacements in these situations: getting damaged in a crash is not the same than a reliability problem, IMO. Also they don´t have spare parts for tomorrow´s test session, they´ll have to run some old components.
Except for the fact that Ron owns 25% of the Mclaren group and plans to own 75% of it by mid year. Don't know too many boards that are going to vote against the majority shareholder.
Always look on the bright side of life da dum etc Alonso says McLaren-Honda crisis is over > F1 News > Grandprix.com
Yap...that and that he could have chosen any team he wanted, including merc...but he prefered Maclaren, lololol what a tool
Fred had only one place to go and get paid that was honda . Fred wanted ham heads seat but that now locked down looks like the Spanish bank is going to stay at ferrari so no more money for fred to move around he's done in f1 won't be surprised if he walks away after next year
Despite all the technical problems, you have to feel sorry for the 2 drivers. These guys are competitors and they do not like to be embarrassed. And, their biological clock is running. They know they have a limited time left in a drivers seat. They must see their futures and it has to be bleak. You can say they get the big paycheck and that should be enough but it's never enough for an athlete who has seen the top and now looks up from the bottom.
I agree with all of that. Neither Alonso nor Button need this ridicule situation. They don't deserve to finish their careers in utter failure. I hope there is stiil chance for them to show how good they are , but time is running out, surely.
Well, Button begged to be in it, he could have gone to a big team in WEC, instead he prefered to wait and stay at Mclaren...he can't complain, neither can Alonso
Button knew that loosing his seat at Mclaren would be the end of his career in F1, and he has show no interest in other categories. So I can understand his insistance in staying put. Alonso didn't achieve at Ferrari what he expected, so took the best offer available to him. Nobody could predict that the gestation of the McLaren-Honda project would be so painful though ... But to say they can't complain is just adding insult to injury. They have every reason to be unhappy. McLaren is supposed to be one of the 4 or 5 top teams, so exiting qualifs after Q1, fighting at the back of the field and getting untold grid penalties isn't part the scrip when you already have one title (or 2 in the case of Alonso) under your belt. I blame everything on the technical complexity in F1 and the stupid rules preventing testing and innovation during the season. McLaren is fighting with one hand tied in its back.
We should feel sorry for all drivers that they switch teams for the better and it ends up being the worse. It is rolling the dice. You don't know what you get until you get to drive the car. None of them signed a contract upon driving and testing the car. Well... It is what it is.
The only reason Jenson has 1 title is he happened to be in the Brawn seat at the right time... He has no reason to complain.
But is it not the case with any winner? They are at the right place at the right time! Button deserved his title like any other champion. If you remember, he took the gamble to stay with Ross Brawn when Honda pulled the plug of its F1 team. Ross Brawn worked miracle adapting a Mercedes engine to a chassis created to fit a Honda engine (Honda took them away) and designing a clever double diffuser. Button drove brillantly that year. There was no certainty of success from the outset, but Button had faith in the project. He took a pay cut to stay with Brawn and won the title. He deserved it. He was at the right place of his own choice, not just by chance.
Zero sorry feeling for the drivers here. Alonso said last season that he could get a seat wherever he wanted. It seems that he wanted McLaren. Oh, well, I guess he´s crying all the way to the bank. About Button, he already got his moment of glory with Brawn when his career was almost dead, everything that came after that must be taken as a gift. I feel sorry for the guys who build the car. Seeing that bodywork without sponsors must generate some fear about their future.
