TACH SPECIAL: McLaren Boss Dennis Under Fire After Monaco Comments

By David Treffer
Contributing Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

June 1, 2001

The team owners, drivers and supporting cast members of the worldwide traveling circus known as the Formula One World Championship are always under a media microscope. If you are a high-profile boss of a successful team that scrutiny can border on the absurd. For McLaren boss Ron Dennis, the white-hot spotlight of absurdity has reached a new high. Dennis, who is referred to by some in the press as “Dennis the Menace” seemingly had a verbal go with a rival team driver after the Monaco Grand Prix.

Reportedly, Dennis and Mercedes F1 Sports Director Norbert Haug confronted Arrows driver Enrique Bernoldi about his blocking technique of David Coulthard that was employed during the Monaco Grand Prix. Bernoldi, according to Reuters News Service, commented that “Ron [Dennis] and Norbert came up to me after the race in the pit lane and they were both very aggressive. They told me if you continue to drive in that manner, you are not going to be in F1 for very long.” Dennis’ side of the story reveals a different side. “That’s rubbish!” Dennis declared. “I said nothing of the sort. I just told him that in my opinion it was unsporting behavior.” The episode for Dennis was reminiscent of the Canadian Grand Prix in 1992 when Williams driver Nigel Mansell tangled with the late Aryton Senna at the chicane before the front stretch. Mansell exited the car and ambled over to the McLaren pits to voice his opinion of Senna’s driving m! anners. For a short time it appeared that Mansell would instigate a boxing match with Dennis. Cooler heads prevailed with Mansell coming out the bad guy in that episode.

This latest episode may be nothing more than the Reuters writer trying to stir things up a bit. However, Dennis and Haug have every right to voice their opinion on other drivers. Dennis is not prone to shove the power that he possesses in people’s faces. Dennis is more refined. His approach is similar to that of NASCAR boss Bill France, Jr. who very rarely has any public display of emotion. If France, Jr. does not like your style (on or off the track) you will find out eventually. However, you might be the last to know. Dennis is cut from the same cloth. Very rarely does the man display public emotion even when pushed to limit.

For the next week, the European press will be all a twitter about the Bernoldi/Dennis dust-up and then it will be time to go back to racing. However, the backdrop of the Canadian Grand Prix will have one more angle added to an already multi-faceted soap opera that revolves around a very widely followed sport. This episode seems to have been ripped from the pages of American pro wrestling. Sometimes the off-track comments from these personalities are more interesting than the race itself.

Regardless of who said what to whom, the outcome is that each of us will have discussed the operatic episode and salivate until the next juicy piece is reported.

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