MAY 15, 1995

Mansell disappoints McLaren

Nigel Mansell's decision to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona last weekend has done nothing for the $15million man's relationship with McLaren team boss Ron Dennis.

Nigel Mansell's decision to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona last weekend has done nothing for the $15million man's relationship with McLaren team boss Ron Dennis. McLaren is a team which always tries to avoid doing its dirty laundry in public but, coming hot on the heels of Mansell's very public problems fitting into the MP4/10 chassis, his retirement in Barcelona came as another blow to the team, which has worked flat out to make life easier for Mansell.

Mansell complained that the car was "virtually impossible to drive" and that he did not feel confident driving. Mika Hakkinen, however, drove a feisty race and ran as high as fifth before retiring with a fuel pressure problem.

In a team statement after the race, Dennis was quoted as saying that Mansell had handling problems and "chose not to continue."

This decision has, however, upset the staff of the team, and after the race McLaren personnel were openly discussing how long Mansell was going to last before either Dennis or he decides to end the relationship. Dennis has Mark Blundell under contract and would probably rather spend money on better technology and luring a new technical director to McLaren than paying for a superstar who is not delivering.