Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh disagreed over 33-year-old driver’s future at McLaren in 2014

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McLaren were a powerhouse in Formula 1 under Ron Dennis and almost always got his way, leading to a disagreement with then-team principal Martin Whitmarsh over Sergio Perez.

McLaren had gone from challenging for race wins with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton in the team to falling into the midfield.

In a report from Motorsport Magazine, it led to a disagreement with the legendary F1 team over who should be driving the car heading into the 2014 season.

Under Ron Dennis, McLaren were consistently challenging for the Drivers and Constructors’ Championships.

He oversaw the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Hamilton winning world titles.

However, the last time the team were top of the team standings was in 1998 when Hakkinen and David Coulthard were at the wheel.

Heading into the 2010s, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were their chosen partnership but Hamilton decided at the end of 2012 to move to Mercedes, leaving McLaren with a seat to fill.

Dennis and Whitmarsh chose Sergio Perez, but he struggled in a car that failed to live up to its predecessor.

A decision had to be made heading into 2014 and it was decided that the Mexican’s stint with the team would end, with Kevin Magnussen handed his Formula 1 debut.

Dennis and Whitmarsh disagreed over Perez’s future at McLaren

Journalist Matt Bishop was working for the team at the time and explained that a tense few months at the team came to a head when deciding who would partner Button that year.

Whitmarsh wanted to give Perez another chance, seeing plenty of potential in the Mexican.

However, Dennis offered the driver to Magnussen as he saw greater potential in the Dane who was considered by F1 insiders at the time to be a ‘future megastar’.

Bishop admits most people in the team sided with Dennis on hiring Magnussen and Whitmarsh departed McLaren that year and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his backing of Perez played a part in his exit.

It’s a testament to McLaren’s scouting that both drivers are still driving in Formula 1 a decade later due to their consistent speed.

Magnussen and Button secured a double podium finish in 2014 that must have immediately made Dennis feel justified in his decision.

However, they were the last podiums the team achieved until Carlos Sainz’s third-place finish in Brazil in 2019.

McLaren is now on the rise once again with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both achieving regular top-three finishes last year.

It will be interesting to see if they can continue their rise and earn just their second win since 2012 after Daniel Ricciardo’s incredible victory at Monza in 2021.