By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, October 28th 2008, 09:55 GMT
Ron DennisMcLaren boss Ron Dennis says whatever the outcome of this weekend's title decider in Brazil, he will be immensely proud of the efforts all of his team members have made this season.
After moving on from the controversial events of 2007, Dennis has nothing but praise for the work and attitude of his employees as they bid to help make Lewis Hamilton world champion at Interlagos.
"I think it would mean so much to everyone who works for McLaren if we were to win the championship," said Dennis in an interview with The Daily Mail.
"But, whether we win the championship or finish second, everyone has already done a fantastic job to take us from where we were 12 months ago to where we are now: in contention for the championship.
"Having said, that, I won't give myself the luxury of imagining how I'll feel if we win because there's no sense in it. But, whether we win the championship or finish second, I'll have to stay calm and disciplined, and lead by example."
Dennis believes the key to McLaren being able to mount a title challenge on the back of their tumultuous 2007 campaign was the team's attitude in not dwelling on last year's events.
"From an individual perspective, every single McLaren employee agreed that we needed to look forward. We knew that if we continued to carry the baggage of negative emotion with us it would be counter-productive. It would manifest itself in an inferior performance.
"Every single employee appreciated that we were, and still are, and always will be, a truly great Grand Prix team. And I think the performance of the team this year, whether we win the world championship or come second, clearly underlines the fortitude within the team that makes McLaren truly great.
"Or, to put it another way: nothing better showcases the unburstable strength-in-depth within McLaren than the fact that, whether we win the championship or come second, we went out and did the job on the circuit again this year.
"McLaren people are fiercely proud of working for McLaren, and rightly so. McLaren is full of people who, if you cut them, would bleed McLaren."
Dennis also thinks suggestions that Hamilton has become arrogant since his arrival in F1 are wide of the mark, as he blamed rivals and the media for stirring things up.
"In any walk of life, if a young person comes in and is immediately successful, his or her competitors may struggle to come to terms with that," he explained.
"What would you expect?! What would you expect them to say?! They said it about David Beckham. They said it about others, not only in the UK. These kind of people - young people who are instantly successful - always receive criticism. It's completely understandable.
"So, with respect to journalists everywhere, many of whom are doing a difficult job very well, we advise Lewis: 'Don't read the papers, don't surf the net. We can't stop you reading the papers or surfing the net, but it may disrupt your focus so please don't.'"
Dennis also believes that any criticism that he or his team face in the wake of defeat in Brazil will be hard to justify, judging by what he has seen this season.
"I know that, if we finish second, some elements of the media will criticise us. They won't look at the extraordinary recovery that put us in a position to potentially win the championship this year.
"But I understand that. It's just the media doing their job. A professional journalist's craft is to paint a picture in different shadows, tones and textures, and to create different perspectives. I accept that. These things used to upset me in the past, but now they don't.
"So now I say to journalists: 'Knock us for our mistakes, by all means, but don't knock us for a lack of integrity or a lack of commitment to the sport. Because, whether we win the championship or finish second, we've demonstrated huge integrity and enormous commitment to the sport."
