Ron Dennis wants to see McLaren-Honda dominate F1

Ron Dennis, the boss of McLaren, does not intend to be satisfied with merely victories for the return of the legendary McLaren-Honda duo starting next season. He hopes to see the British team dominate Formula 1, as was the case notably in 1988 – when the team secured 15 wins out of 16 possible with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

« The 1988 car arrived very late and at that time testing was not limited, so when we arrived at Imola all the other teams had clearly demonstrated their competitiveness. For the third timed lap of the car, it was one second faster than all those who had been testing for days, and by the end of the tests, we were two seconds faster. What we achieved at that time, and what our rivals at Mercedes have managed to do this year, is exactly what our goal for the future is – to demonstrate dominance, » said Ron Dennis, as quoted by Autosport.

The Briton knows that it probably won’t happen overnight, but he believes that dominating is what makes a team stand out in Formula 1 today: « I remember at the beginning of the [2014] season, I said we were here to win races. So you could say that since we haven’t won a race and we’re using words like ‘domination,’ we’re setting ourselves up for a big fall. But domination doesn’t come in a short period, it takes time. It’s our reason for being because it’s the only thing that sets you apart from people who are just winning races. Winning races is a challenge, but domination is an even greater challenge. »

Ron Dennis also knows he can count on his engine manufacturer’s determination to return to the top, having admitted to being impressed by Honda’s facilities: « The commitment, attitude, full concentration, and desire to raise the bar are all present in these facilities and also in the attitude of the Honda/McLaren engineers. I am convinced that as the season progresses, we will have a realistic perspective on reaching our goals. »