Ron Dennis: McLaren “half a second faster” at Sepang

By taking back the reins of the Woking team, Ron Dennis, appointed director of the McLaren Group, aims to return quickly to the forefront. He explains his vision: « What we want to be, as quickly as possible, is a winning Grand Prix team. If you’re not winning, then you’re not where you want to be. So the question is: how do we catch up, and how quickly can we do it? What measures need to be taken? »

Indeed, to achieve his goal, in-season development is essential, and he believes that from this perspective, McLaren is in a good place: « Racing on different continents limits the speed of car development but nevertheless, we will do our best. I am sure we will be half a second faster at the next Grand Prix, for various reasons. This won’t be enough to reach our goal but it will keep the pressure on our pursuers. »

Then he discusses the gap separating McLaren from Mercedes, while remaining clear-eyed about the situation: « Their pace is particularly evident in qualifying. It’s clear they have a good second and a half advantage over the others. It’s difficult to close, but not impossible. » Ron Dennis is referring here to the gap observed after qualifying between Lewis Hamilton’s pole position and Kevin Magnussen’s first McLaren.

But beyond the sporting aspect, the McLaren director said he was impressed by the behavior of his men throughout the Australian weekend: “We had a good weekend. The result wasn’t so bad, but beyond that, there was the team’s discipline, good pit stops, the right decision made for Jenson’s stop; in fact, the weekend as a whole went very, very well. We had a few minor software issues during one of the free practice sessions, but once again, no panic, focus, determination, and a good team spirit. It will give us confidence.”

To see if the gaps will actually close between Mercedes and McLaren, all you have to do is follow the Malaysian Grand Prix in its entirety on MotorsInside!