Ron Dennis Returns - What Next For McLaren?

This 'hostile takeover' by McLaren's former Team Principle came out of the blue. Insiders will say that it was inevitable but if you look at it from a Formula One neutral's perspective, it's an unwanted surprise.

I have no doubt that McLaren will get back to winning ways, but this coup by Ron Dennis won't assist that happening. He was dominant throughout the previous three decades in F1 and, after a few years running the consumer side of McLaren, he's back.

I really like Martin Whitmarsh, he's very straight when he answers questions. You never get the impression he's hiding something and he always talks about his drivers and the other teams with the utmost respect. Ron Dennis, on the other hand, is a nasty piece of work who was at the very centre of the Spygate scandal that cost McLaren their first Constructor's Championship in nearly a decade.

Dennis doesn't agree with Whitmarsh's way of running the team but I feel he's brought in a few changes that have certainly benefited the team. The central 'island' in between the two drivers' garages for example, this brought the teammates and their respective engineers closer together in the way they shared technical information.

This all having been said, McLaren haven't won a Constructor's Championship in over a decade and a Driver's title since 2008. They've just had their worst season in F1 and they've brought in a rookie driver to replace Perez. Can Ron Dennis bring the team back to its former glory? 

Whatever he does this year, whatever happens, will have been built from Martin Whitmarsh's foundations. The recruitment of Eric Bouillier shows Whitmarsh is on the way out. This season will be very interesting indeed.