If you thought former McLaren CEO and chairman Ron Dennis was not the kind of person who makes a late-night trip to the chippy after a party, you might want to think again.
In the latest “McLaren & Me” entry for the Woking-based outfit’s official website, former grand prix racer turned superstar TV pundit Martin Brundle recalls such excursion and how it might have helped him secure a deal with the team.
“At the end of [the 1993] season I took the very bold decision that I would risk everything – I was going to have the McLaren drive for 1994 after [Ayrton] Senna went to Williams,” Brundle said. “So it was forget sportscars, forget any other F1 offers.
“When I was pushing really hard to get that drive I went to a birthday party in London, and afterwards we went to a nightclub with Ron and some other people. At 4am, having had quite a lot to drink, I ended up eating fish and chips with Ron to soak up the alcohol.
“I went home, woke up the next day, and thought, “What on earth is Ron going to think? A professional driver drinking alcohol and eating fish and chips... I'm never going to get that drive now!” But I think it broke the ice with Ron to an extent, and I'm pretty sure that it was actually a positive and not a negative in the end.”
Brundle eventually got the drive following an agreement at the 11th hour.
“It went down to the line, and I finally signed on the Tuesday before the first race. Talk about preparation for a season – I literally signed a deal, got on a plane, and went to Brazil.
“I ended up doing the deal with Ron by fax. So this virtual manager that I didn't have became the fax machine. It was almost, “My client won't accept that!”. Anyway we agreed a deal, and I was told not to say anything to anybody. I went to the factory, met Jo Ramirez, and we went to the airport.
“And then a photographer came up to me at Heathrow and said, “I've got to do some pictures.” I'd been warned not to say anything to anybody. It turned out he was working for McLaren, but I was super suspicious!”
Although McLaren was a couple years removed from its golden era using Honda engines, Brundle did enjoy a solid season, highlighted by his pair of podium finishes in Monaco and Australia en route to seventh in the 1994 Drivers’ standings.
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