When I first started following F1 in the noughties, I was inexplicably drawn to McLaren. Their silver/black and then chrome/red liveries effused coolness and efficiency. Ron's maniacal drive for perfection and the endless use of logic within the team fits perfectly with my personality type, so I guess it was inevitable.
In 2007 they were at the peak of their (modern day) powers. Though they hadn't won a championship in 7 years, they had just signed the current double world champion from under the nose of Ferrari. They also stole Vodafone on a massive 7-year contract and they had the backing of the mighty Daimler. Santander joined not long after and one nobody from Stevenage called Lewis Hamilton.
This was the year they would take the fight to Ferrari. They had the car, the drivers and the money. They even threw a massive launch party for the MP4-22 in Valencia, which was rumoured to have cost millions. Unfortunately we know how that season turned out, and it appears Vodafone wasn't the only thing they stole from Ferrari. For thread unity I will say no more.
2008 was the year they finally got their championship, but it seems both driver and team could have done better. Would McLaren finally push on and dominate? No. The start of next year was a complete disaster, with a flawed concept. The team, BrawnGP, that McLaren saved with their generous offer of Merc engines stole a march on everyone and won both titles. This act of generosity by Whitmarsh would come back to haunt McLaren. Mercedes bought BrawnGP the following year for a pittance and McLaren lost works status, free engines and funding.
2010 to 2013 saw the rise of the Red Bull. Eight titles on the trot. McLaren had a (very strong) sniff in 2012, but they threw it away with the most amateur display of strategy, pitwork and reliability that I have ever seen in a modern F1 team. A consistently excellent Lewis Hamilton couldn't save them and RBR won another one. Lewis couldn't stomach another missed opportunity and was off, promised a land of milk, honey and dominant championships by Loki Lauda and Brawn. Vodafone and Santander weren't far behind, taking a giant chunk of funding away.
Since the bright flash of 2012, McLaren have been absolutely dire on track. This team was one of the best funded, so they can't blame money. This team has had at least one WDC driving for them since 2007 (exception is 2008 but Lewis won his championship that year), and for most of the period it's had two. They can't blame the drivers. They had the dominant Mercedes engine for all years from 2008 up till 2015, and they did nothing with them. They can't blame the engine.
WTF is going on at McLaren? The fact that the factory has only been able to build four competitive cars in the past decade is shocking. Of the four, only the MP4-20 and 27 could be said to be the undoubted class of the field pace-wise. Given the engines and facilities, this is truly shocking.
I don't think I can blame Ron for the on-track failures as he has build a tidy engineering business on the side and has created a small, but rapidly growing, super sports car company. From all accounts the cars are excellent and the firm is already profitable. I can, however, blame him for the collapse in funding. The loss of TAG Heuer was the last straw (on top of Hugo Boss). These are decades old partnerships and the sponsors can't take it it anymore.
That I'm a Hamilton fan and that he's had so much success since he left helps numb the pain, but it still hurts seeing the team of Fitti, Hunt, Lauda, Prost, Senna and Hakkinen as backmarkers being lapped by their protégé
So to circle back to the beginning - is this the end of McLaren as we know them? Can they even survive in the sport with no sponsors? Will the drivers be patient? Will they wind down the F1 effort and focus on roadcars? Am I being too dramatic? What do you think?