At least one of McLaren’s drivers could and should have won the 2007 world championship. But, owing to an unnecessary clash of egos between them (in which the team foolishly became a participant), and the steady drip of toxic revelations in the ‘Spygate’ scandal that year, McLaren was left empty-handed – and $100million poorer.
What a trajectory. The season began with one of the most extravagant launches ever as McLaren underlined the poaching of title sponsor Vodafone from Ferrari and double world champion driver Fernando Alonso from Renault with a street festival in Valencia. “I’m sure 2007 is going to be a year we’re all going to remember,” said team boss Ron Dennis in a crisply edited promo video from the event. It would, but not for the reasons Ron anticipated.
Signing Alonso had been a significant coup for Dennis, who swooped in late 2005 after a chance conversation with Alonso following the podium ceremony for the Brazilian GP. The deal was done in secret in a hotel room in Japan a fortnight later – without Alonso’s manager (and Renault boss) Flavio Briatore’s knowledge. In retrospect, this kind of backdoor chicanery, along with Alonso’s increasingly bizarre outbursts later in the 2006 season – where he accused Renault of sabotaging his campaign – should have acted as something of a red flag.
Then again, during that final
