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Ron Dennis

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Sports Executive

The Resume

    (June 1, 1947- )
    Born in Woking, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
    Founded the McLaren Group (1981)
    Owned the McLaren Formula One team (1981-2009)
    Leadership turned McLaren into one of the most successful Formula One teams of all time
    Credited with launching the careers of Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, and Lewis Hamilton
    Author of the books 'Driving Ambition: The Official Inside Story of the McLaren F-1 Ron Dennis' (1999), 'The Posturality of the Person: A Guide to Postural Education and Therapy' (2013), and 'Alexander Revisited: Contemplation and Criticism' (2014)
    Founder of the Absolute Taste catering company (1998)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was banned from driving for six months after accumulation of points (2011).
    He repeatedly attempted to purchase half of McLaren Tech after shareholder relations worsened, but the investment deal fell through.
    His time with McLaren was hurt by the souring of his friendship with McLaren shareholder Mansour Ojjeh.
    He presided over McLaren's disastrous engine partnership with Honda, causing the team to languish in last place for the season.
    He was ousted as chief executive officer of McLaren in a boardroom coup and sold his 25% shareholding (Nov. 2017).
    He clumsily tried to lure Michael Schumacher from Benetton to McLaren, after Ayrton Senna's departure, when the two met at a fashion show.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He started out as a mechanic for Jack Brabham at eighteen.
    He coined the term 'Ronspeak' to describe his unique verbiage during press briefings.
    He was instrumental in transforming the otherwise unremarkable McLaren into a regular world championship contender.
    He successfully persuaded F1 champion Niki Lauda to come out of retirement and compete for McLaren. Two years later, Lauda would claim his third world title.
    Of McLaren's first 20 titles, 17 came during his tenure (including 158 of the team's 182 Grand Prix wins).
    He facilitated McLaren at its two peak periods, which involved mediating the rivalries between his competing stars (Senna vs. Prost, Alonso vs. Hamilton).
    He was knighted as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his services to the motorsport field, in 2000.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 16 Votes: 37.50% Annoying