Formula One news
Whitmarsh: "I did offer my resignation"
17 April 2009Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that he offered handing in his notice at McLaren following the team's disastrous and highly political start to the 2009 campaign. 50-year-old Whitmarsh, in his first year as team principal, dismissed team manager and long-time colleague Dave Ryan following the latter's explanation of false information to race stewards in Australia, with Whitmarsh's own actions also coming under fire from the media.
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"At the moment, as has been pointed out, this team has gone through some interesting and challenging times," Whitmarsh said in Shanghai on Friday. "I did offer my resignation after the weekend (of Malaysia), that was graciously declined - I offered it to the shareholders, and that was declined; the reality is that, in the future, it will be the new chairman's decision, which is normal in any business. So if the view is that I am doing a reasonable job then hopefully I will keep it and, if I am not, I won't - and that's how it should be."
As well as being in trouble with governing body the FIA, the situation is still ugly for the Woking-based team which will be going before the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris on Wednesday 29 April, with the possibility still remaining of a hefty fine or even exclusion from this year's World Championship.
Whitmarsh himself has also been under intense scrutiny, with the FIA having recently contacted British broadcaster the BBC with a view to examining a post-race interview with Ted Kravitz in Australia, linking the former more directly to 'lie-gate'. "I looked (at the footage), because it was drawn to my attention over the last few days," Whitmarsh admitted. "I didn't see anything extraordinary in those comments, but we've got a World Motor Sport Council hearing ahead of us and that's the time when we will discuss all those issues."
In the meantime, the team can be pleased that it is back on form on the track after Lewis Hamilton topped the first timed practice session in China, with team-mate Heikki Kovalainen just three places behind him.
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