28 replies to this topic

[kosmos]

I was very surprised about Bullier not being an active part of the presentation, absent from the official pictures, he was not invited to the couch, no video interviews, the only thing I found is some minor quotes in Autosport. Assuming he was not sick what is his role in McLaren?. Is he a Team Principal in the classical sense or just a face/high paid employee because Ron Dennis is the team principal "in the shadows"?. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I found it a little unusual.

[SophieB]

McLaren don't have the post of TP since Martin Whitmarsh left. EB's post title is Racing Director, which seems roughly similar in terms of the day-to-day running to the old TP job, except with (presumably) Ron now having more openly a say about top level decisions and overall team direction. This story from Autosport yesterday seems to indicate EB still has a pretty hands on role:

 

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/117131

 

"We gain the best driver in the world today, and to have convinced Fernando to stop his last two years of contract with Ferrari to join us, that means a lot for me.

"It means he believes in what we are building.

"Clearly he's going to challenge us every day. To be honest with you, he's texting me every day already!

 

[FullWets]

James Allen reported Dennis as trying to impose himself a bit during the drivers' presentation, even answering questions directed to other people. It seems to me that he indeed wanted to show himself in control of the team in this context of change, even when media have repeatedly reported that ALO + BUT were not his preferred driver constellation and may have been imposed by Honda. Is Honda bringing in the money, so that Dennis can buy the majority stake at McLaren? It would explain many things. Alonso being protected by Honda and not depending solely on Dennis' good will is for me essential in explaining his return to McLaren.

[Mart280]

I can see Bouiller leaving, he wont like all the interference from Ron and now Ron is gaining more control it will make Bouillers position untenable, in my opinion.

[Lights]

More importantly, has anyone seen Martin Whitmarsh recently?

[LuckyStrike1]

Sam Michael took him 

[kosmos]

McLaren don't have the post of TP since Martin Whitmarsh left. EB's post title is Racing Director,

 

Interesting, thanks for the info.

[Gary Davies]

More importantly, has anyone seen Martin Whitmarsh recently?

Pardon me if you're meaning where has Martin popped up post-McLaren, but if you by chance didn't know, he left the company entirely back in August. This link tells all - http://www.autosport...t.php/id/115578

[SophieB]

Interesting, thanks for the info.

 

There is also a Mclaren Racing CEO position that is (as far as I know!) still waiting to be confirmed. Johnathan Neale was named interim CEO in the wake of MW's departure, (presumably in addition to his existing role) and again, as far as I know, he's still occupying that role until someone is appointed. Neale told Dieter Rencken in April 2014 he very much wants the permanent job himself, though.

 

http://plus.autospor...claren-revival/ (subscribers or £ only)

 

Eric Boullier alluded to a forthcoming management shake up a while back and I wondered if it was about that role.

Edited by SophieB, 13 December 2014 - 10:16.
Hopefully clearer.

[Gary Davies]

I can see Bouiller leaving, he wont like all the interference from Ron and now Ron is gaining more control it will make Bouillers position untenable, in my opinion.

I doubt it, actually. The elephant in the room - RD - was well and truly there when Boullier took the job as Racing Director. McLaren does not, nor, I understand, intend to have a position with the title of Team Principal (neither does Mercedes AMG Petronas). So nothing's changed, imho, that will make Eric get the hump.

 

My take on the proceedings on Thursday at the MTC is that Ronzo wanted a tight group doing the appearing, the top man at McLaren, Honda's Chief officer of Motorsports, Yasuhisa Arai, and the three drivers. No Eric Neal, no Boullier, no Neil Oatley... just the people needed for the announcement.

 

That a subtle message message was sent to Messrs Alonso and Boullier about who pulls the strings was something about which I can imagine Ron chuckling about as he returned to his office later.

 

I wonder if he'll wear team clothes or sit on the pit wall in 2015. I doubt it... I'm guessing he'll be seeing gravitas as everything. Wolff and Arrivabene have to put on the team shirt... they're just functionaries. Pah! Ah no, Ronzo wants to make it clear that he ain't that! 

Edited by Gary Davies, 13 December 2014 - 12:41.

[Raziel]

If I remember well, Alonso was presented as a Ferrari driver by Luca di Montezemolo, I know he beached his Ferrari at Monza lol

[Nobody]

You are reading too much into it, Boullier is there don't worry.

[trogggy]

I wonder if he'll wear team clothes or sit on the pit wall in 2015. I doubt it... I'm guessing he'll be seeing gravitas as everything. Wolff and Arrivabene have to put on the team shirt... they're just functionaries. Pah! Ah no, Ronzo wants to make it clear that he ain't that! 

IIRC Wolff owns 30% of the Merc F1 team.

 

[MinT]

I would be happy to see him go  after the way he reacted to questioning about Button in Abu Dhabi - total lack of professionalism.

[BillBald]

I can see Bouiller leaving, he wont like all the interference from Ron and now Ron is gaining more control it will make Bouillers position untenable, in my opinion.

 

It actually looked untenable to me from the summer break onwards.

 

He seemed to be just parrotting a 'party line' (which presumably came from Ron), and he looked so uncomfortable all the time, as though he was saying "Please don't ask me what I meant by that".

[mclarensmps]

I can see Bouiller leaving, he wont like all the interference from Ron and now Ron is gaining more control it will make Bouillers position untenable, in my opinion.

 

Let me get this straight. You think Boulllier enjoys the media aspect of F1 so much more than the racing aspect, that this makes his position untenable? 

 

Seriously?

[purpleturtle]

There is also a Mclaren Racing CEO position that is (as far as I know!) still waiting to be confirmed. Johnathan Neale was named interim CEO in the wake of MW's departure, (presumably in addition to his existing role) and again, as far as I know, he's still occupying that role until someone is appointed. Neale told Dieter Rencken in April 2014 he very much wants the permanent job himself, though.

 

http://plus.autospor...claren-revival/ (subscribers or £ only)

 

Eric Boullier alluded to a forthcoming management shake up a while back and I wondered if it was about that role.

 

That shake-up I think was the sacking of Sam Michael and head of aero Doug Mckiernan.

[BillBald]

Let me get this straight. You think Boulllier enjoys the media aspect of F1 so much more than the racing aspect, that this makes his position untenable? 

 

Seriously?

 

I think it would be the 'interference from Ron' which might make his position untenable.

[purpleturtle]

I can see Bouiller leaving, he wont like all the interference from Ron and now Ron is gaining more control it will make Bouillers position untenable, in my opinion.

 

Doubt it. Getting Boullier was Dennis' idea.  Dennis is treating Boullier as a protege of sorts. Dennis said he sees himself in this position for about 3 years and there are likely to be some senior promotions when Dennis leaves, likely involving Boullier. There are often clips of Dennis and Boullier in deep conversation and Boullier looks like he is hanging onto every word like it's gold. 

 

Boullier need not feel excluded - Dennis consulted heavily with Boullier during the driver selection process, so it's hardly like Boullier feels left out. Boullier: "I sat down with Ron in a room together, closed the door and said: 'OK, I'm your lawyers, you're mine; I defend your position and you try to attack mine. You can push for an argument and kill it. In the end, we left the room three times with it being 50-50.'" His opinion is valued, but $100 million + driver decisions must be made at the very top - this was the CEO's decision, not the Racing Director's, but it was based on conversations with the Racing Director.

 

Dennis has a flare with media that Boullier hasn't quite mastered - it makes sense for Dennis to run these events, and Boullier can absorb Ron's way of being with the media and thinking for when Dennis has to give up more control (a fact Dennis is well aware of and has advertised). Boullier was still in the front row, sitting next to Vandoorne - possibly a view for McLaren's future looking at where they can be in a few years.

 

Dennis is too busy a man with too short-term a future to have ever increasing control - he is in charge of the McLaren Group not just McLaren Racing. He also has a role at the sister company McLaren Automotive. He simply does not have time to handle all the day to day handlings of the F1 team. Boullier is heaped in responsibility I'm sure and that responsibility will increase the more he is with the organisation and of course when Ron reaches the end of his short-term plan (provided Boullier does a good job of course, which he seems to be doing).

 

 

 

Having said all that I too was a little surprised we heard *nothing* official from Boullier.

Edited by purpleturtle, 14 December 2014 - 01:39.

[balmybaldwin]

I would be happy to see him go  after the way he reacted to questioning about Button in Abu Dhabi - total lack of professionalism.

I think thats unfair, I strongly suspect his reaction was to the way ted doorstepped him. Ted was leading him to say something he refused to say, and his sniggering was about that battle of spokesperson v journo ted asked him a loaded question that he didnt answer. Who knows, he could have been sniggering because he was enjoying leading ted on and he knew all along who was the prefered driver?

[Lazy]

Doubt it. Getting Boullier was Dennis' idea.  

No, Bouliier, like most of the stuff Dennis is trying to take credit for, was Whitmarsh's idea.

[Gary Davies]

IIRC Wolff owns 30% of the Merc F1 team.

Yeah I know, but the Mercedes AMG Petronas team is but a tiny sliver of Daimler AG.

 

Dennis's ownership is of the McLaren Group, not just the F1 bit.

[SophieB]

That shake-up I think was the sacking of Sam Michael and head of aero Doug Mckiernan.

I am not at all sure Sam Michael was sacked rather than just resigning? Any source? It was widely reported he handed his resignation in at the beginning of the season.

What is interesting to me is that the team haven't yet said who will be doing his old job, unless I missed it. Is he being replaced? Or is EB just going to extend his own role to include what SM formerly did? Whatever it was he did. I was quite never sure of what Sam Michael's job actually entailed.

[frosty125]

As I understand it Ron is in overall charge and he wanted to be seen as in control for the big announcement.

 

EB is in charge of day to day running of the race team and Johnathan Neale handles the day to day commercial stuff.

[BillBald]

As I understand it Ron is in overall charge and he wanted to be seen as in control for the big announcement.

 

EB is in charge of day to day running of the race team and Johnathan Neale handles the day to day commercial stuff.

 

That's my understanding too, but I'm not sure whether he will have a free hand, and whether Ron might be giving him the benefit of his advice, or actually telling him what to do.

[Brod]

People are making too big a deal out of this. There was one guy representing Honda (Arai) and one guy representing McLaren (RD) and that's it. Would've been more surprising to see Boullier only. 

 

Let's not forget that (after Brawn is gone) Boullier is the only TP/racing director coming from the technical side of the sport at the moment. Quite funny thinking about how much he seems to enjoy all the media stuff that comes with his position, but it makes a lot of sense that RD was sitting there and not Boullier. 

[bogi]

It was Ron's show, Fernando is back, if it was Eric instad of Ron we would have thread ''Ron is still annoyed by Fernando, he wasn't on the presentation''.

[Imateria]

People are making too big a deal out of this. There was one guy representing Honda (Arai) and one guy representing McLaren (RD) and that's it. Would've been more surprising to see Boullier only. 

 

Let's not forget that (after Brawn is gone) Boullier is the only TP/racing director coming from the technical side of the sport at the moment. Quite funny thinking about how much he seems to enjoy all the media stuff that comes with his position, but it makes a lot of sense that RD was sitting there and not Boullier. 

Technical side? Before McLaren he was TP at Lotus/Renault and before that he was the boss at Gravity Sport Management. If he's got a technical background it's been some years since he last held a role that it was a requirement of.

 

Actually, the likes of Ross Brawn ending up as TP are pretty rare, at the moment I can't think of another example where an engineer ended up as a full time TP (Bob Bell doesn't count, he only filled in for a short time at Renault).

[mclarensmps]

I think it would be the 'interference from Ron' which might make his position untenable.

 

This could actually be true, however, it depends on what the job requirements of Eric's position are.

 

If his job is to run the race team and the technical department, and he's left to his own devices there, I think he should be okay.

 

Whatever happens on the board level above him, or in terms of funding and sponsorship, should probably not be any of his concern (and seemingly for the better, considering how things went at Lotus - whomever's fault that may have been).

 

I just think that inferring that someone's position being untenable based on their demeanor at a press conference (as I look at it in the context of this thread), is a little bit extreme.

 

Having said that, it's by no means out of the realms of possibility. Ron is Ron, after all...