OCTOBER 23, 1995

Dennis denies McLaren changes

MCLAREN boss Ron Dennis has reacted angrily to stories suggesting that shares in the team are being acquired by Indycar team owner Roger Penske.

MCLAREN boss Ron Dennis has reacted angrily to stories suggesting that shares in the team are being acquired by Indycar team owner Roger Penske.

Dennis described the rumors as "complete crap" and said that they are very disruptive to the team, which is struggling to be competitive at the moment. The vehemence of the denials is very unlike the normally urbane Dennis and - clearly - for whatever reason - it is a highly sensitive subject.

But whether Dennis likes it or not, the F1 paddock in Aida was buzzing with stories about the future of the team.

Despite all the pressure, Dennis is making positive steps to improve McLaren's performance with the hiring of Williams-Renault race engineer David Brown. We hear that there are also likely to be one or two other defections from Williams in the weeks ahead although a bid to snatch chief designer Adrian Newey does not appear to have been successful. Newey recently agreed to a three-year deal worth millions of dollars.