Ron Dennis occasionally has other motives.
Unwilling to comment specifically on the Christian Horner saga, Ron Dennis, the man who famously referred to F1 as the “Piranha Club”, believes everybody wants to see Red Bull fail.
Red Bull’s dominance in the previous season was evident in their victories in the last two championship doubles. The Milton Keynes team demonstrated exceptional performance by winning all but one Grand Prix and securing a 1-2 finish in the Drivers’ standings.
Ron Dennis: There are always sometimes other motives
However, despite their impressive performances on the track, the team’s unity and camaraderie suffered a major setback in February. This occurred when team boss Horner faced an investigation regarding inappropriate conduct, although Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull, ultimately dismissed the charge.
As the ongoing saga continued, the team faced persistent rumors of a rift between Horner and Helmut Marko. There remains a possibility, much to Toto Wolff’s desire, that Max Verstappen might depart from the team before his long-term contract expires.
Dennis, although not touching on the details of the drama, believes there could be “other motives” in play as everybody wants to see Red Bull “fail”.
In an interview with the BBC, the ex-McLaren team boss stated that expressing his opinion on that specific topic would be completely inappropriate.
“I have been away from Formula One for a total of seven years. I am just as uninformed as you are.”
“There is more to it than just Formula One; many high-ranking individuals such as Chief Executives and politicians also encounter similar challenges in their lives. The reality is that there is a deeper perspective to consider.”
I am not stating whether something is right or wrong, but the team is situated in an environment where everyone desires to witness its failure.
“And that, I believe, is the crux of the matter – the sole point I wish to emphasize. I am not passing any judgment on what did or did not occur. All I am stating is that this is what transpired, and I simply desire to return to the topic at hand, acknowledging that there may sometimes be alternative motives.”
More on the Christian Horner saga
Claims Christian Horner’s Red Bull saga not over with ‘piranha world’ and ‘few sharks swimming’
Sources: Christian Horner has ‘full support’ of Red Bull shareholders as axing rumours swirl
After the Spygate saga of 2007, McLaren faced severe repercussions from the FIA. Dennis claims to have extensive knowledge about this matter.
After a McLaren employee was discovered with confidential material belonging to Ferrari, the team was hit with a $100 million fine and had their Constructors’ championship points revoked.
“I had successfully taken the governing body and Bernie Eccelstone to court in Brussels with two other teams,” Dennis explained in relation to my circumstances. “I was the one leading the charge. The ruling from Brussels was that a governing body could not have any commercial involvement in the sport.”
“That decision completely altered the course of Grand Prix racing as the governing body and Max Mosley desired involvement in the financial aspects of motor racing, but their aspirations were thwarted by Brussels’ ruling.”
“And from that point forward, I would occasionally sense the laser sight fixated on me. I had to constantly evade each bullet, enduring years of this struggle. It was all a consequence of that one person, whose hidden agenda unknowingly exposed the team to vulnerability, allowing the governing body to pounce on me without hesitation.”
Read next: Max Verstappen to miss the win, Yuki Tsunoda ahead of Hamilton and more Imola predictions
