Thursday 7 August at 15:17 : 2008 may be Ron Dennis' last season at the helm of the McLaren team -- particularly if the Mercedes-powered squad wins its first championship in nearly a decade.

The 61-year-old is quoted as saying by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport: "If I do step back, I would want to do that with a title."

The magazine claims the Briton, who began working as a mechanic in formula one as a teenager in the 1960s, is so desperate to return the silverware to Woking that the team is still flat-out on the 2008 car, rather than switching its focus to the sweeping rules changes for next year.

Late last year, Dennis resisted pressure to quit McLaren, of which he is still a shareholder, over the espionage scandal.