If you have followed our post about Fernando on Heikki’s role at McLaren here, then you will understand Ron Dennis’ defense of the criticism leveraged at two-time champion Fernando Alonso who drove for McLaren in 2007 and had a rather acrimonious departure.
While Ron cites the non-disclosure statement that Fernando and McLaren agreed to at the time of their separation, Ron was the first one (just days after the formal Alonso departure announcement) to break that rule in my opinion. I have no idea what that agreement says but using a hunch of “no commenting about either party” is the rule, then Ron broke that many months ago.
Yet again we are overran with the “no team orders” mantra that has been clearly debunked in the last few races and it has become a joke really. All I have to say is I never want to hear Ron complain about Ferrari team orders again. The story at the Guardian.
“Firstly, when the contract with Fernando was terminated there were pre-conditions which determined the behaviour of both parties post-termination,” he said. “We have no intention of breaching that agreement. His opinion is his opinion – I’m not going to voice my opinion about anything that Fernando has done or said.
“What I would say is you can’t see any strings leading to Heikki’s shoulders and he’s an honest guy. He will more than convince anyone who talks to him that this is a team absolutely committed to equality. It always has been and it always will be.
“People will point to the last grand prix [at Hockenheim] and say it’s absolutely obvious there were team orders in that event because it was clear that Heikki moved over and let Lewis past. The essential fact was that throughout that race Lewis was nearly seven-tenths of a second faster than Heikki and he knew that, he was told that. He was not told to let Lewis past.”
