McLaren team principal Ron Dennis banned from driving for 6 months - Formula 1 News Update
The ex-McLaren team principal Ron Dennis has been banned from driving for six months. The Formula One executive has been found guilty of violating the traffic laws several times before getting the ban. He was also fined £350.
The 63-year-old is the executive chairman of the McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive, and holds a major part of the shares in both companies. He was the team principal for the group's Formula One team since 1981. However, he announced on January 16, 2009
that he would be resigning as McLaren's team principal to be replaced by Martin Whitmarsh.
Consequently, on April 16, 2009 he handed over the complete control of McLaren F1 team to Whitmarsh. Commenting on this he said that he cited a desire to pursue new challenges, above all, focusing on the McLaren road car. It seems that the old man forgot
to keep his focus on the road rules along with the cars.
Dennis was banned from driving after a string of traffic offences. The ban comes after he accumulated 12 penalty points just two weeks before the F1 season starts in Australia. With Lewis Hamilton making the news of getting charged due to his reckless driving
outside the Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit last year, Dennis seemed to be bent on showing the company’s name in headlines this year.
"Our executive chairman's driving license has been suspended for six months following four minor traffic infringements that resulted in 12 penalty points being accrued," a McLaren team spokesman is reported to have said.
According to the news he had pleaded guilty to driving through a red light in the latest encroachment. He turned up before the magistrates in Woking (close to the team’s base), after he failed to stop at a red light. He told the magistrates’ court that he
believes that had he stopped suddenly, it would have caused an accident with the car travelling behind. He also admitted that a ban would be a bad influence on his work and his family life.
"It was the decision I took for which I realise I'm here to take the penalty, but as I have said I really need my license," Dennis said in the court, "I have no hardship but I would have a massive amount of trouble not being able to look after my daughter
at the weekends."
Though he maintained that he had skipped the lights to avoid a crash, the court sacked his arguments, charging him a £350 penalty.
The three points given on his licence have added to the previous ones, making a total of 12 points. He is therefore banned from driving for the next six months, as per the rule.
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