From GMM and Autosport
Some controversy arose over comments made by new Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton over Ron Dennis' retirement from the McLaren F1 race team.
Hamilton, who under Ron Dennis' wing rose from a ten-year old boy karter to reigning world champion, said he learned only minutes before the rest of the world that the McLaren team boss is stepping aside.
"I only heard Ron was standing down a couple of minutes before he announced his decision," 24-year-old Hamilton is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
However, while Hamilton may have known the news was going public only on the morning of the launch, Dennis has confirmed to Autosport.com that he fully briefed the world champion about his plans back in December.
"After the BBC Sports Review of the Year programme was filmed in Liverpool on the evening of Sunday December 14, Lewis and I flew to Washington DC to visit ExxonMobil, one of McLaren's principal partners," explained Dennis.
"On the flight we spoke openly, as we always do, and I went through my plans with him in minute detail. So he was fully aware of Martin's and my plans.
"The only aspect Lewis may not have been fully aware of in advance was the exact timing of my announcement, because when he and I spoke together on the plane I didn't tell him I was going to go public on the day we'd be launching the MP4-24."
photo:McLaren
Some controversy arose over comments made by new Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton over Ron Dennis' retirement from the McLaren F1 race team.
Hamilton, who under Ron Dennis' wing rose from a ten-year old boy karter to reigning world champion, said he learned only minutes before the rest of the world that the McLaren team boss is stepping aside.
"I only heard Ron was standing down a couple of minutes before he announced his decision," 24-year-old Hamilton is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
However, while Hamilton may have known the news was going public only on the morning of the launch, Dennis has confirmed to Autosport.com that he fully briefed the world champion about his plans back in December.
"After the BBC Sports Review of the Year programme was filmed in Liverpool on the evening of Sunday December 14, Lewis and I flew to Washington DC to visit ExxonMobil, one of McLaren's principal partners," explained Dennis.
"On the flight we spoke openly, as we always do, and I went through my plans with him in minute detail. So he was fully aware of Martin's and my plans.
"The only aspect Lewis may not have been fully aware of in advance was the exact timing of my announcement, because when he and I spoke together on the plane I didn't tell him I was going to go public on the day we'd be launching the MP4-24."
photo:McLaren