McLaren hurt by "lack of passion" and politics - Ramirez

McLaren has not won a race since the 2012 season, and has struggled especially during the past two years since it rejoined forces with engine supplier Honda.

The Woking-based team has also undergone a management reshuffle, with long-time team chief Ron Dennis being forced out earlier this year and Zak Brown being appointed as chief executive.

CEO Jost Capito is also leaving McLaren just a few months after having joined, while marketing chief Ekrem Sami has stepped down from the board, although he remains part of the management team.

Ramirez, who was the co-ordinator of McLaren from 1984 to 2001, believes the team is in a "very delicate" state at the moment, and says some staff members are sad about the situation.

"Unfortunately McLaren is in a very delicate situation because there's a lot of politics," Ramirez told Spanish radio COPE.

"Jost Capito is leaving and people at McLaren had high hopes for him and he has been there for a few months and the politics were so big that he couldn't take it and he's out.

"Ekrem Sami is still part of the management but he's no longer in the board. There are so many things that people at McLaren are quite sad. I'm in London and I had lunch with a friend who is still at McLaren and he says he's sad, because everybody keeps working but there's no passion.

"They have jobs and they have to make a living but it's not the same passion they had before for the job. There's a lot of people at McLaren who were Ron people."

Nonetheless, Ramirez believes the situation will improve once the team focuses on the launch of its new car for the 2017 season.

"Once it settles down a bit more I think in January or February when they launch the new car things will get better. It's something that Fernando [Alonso] knows and is aware of," added the Mexican.

"Nobody is perfect. Ron made a lot of mistakes, and that's why he left.

"We'll see if the new management can resurrect this great name, because those of us who were there are very saddened by what's going on. They are destroying themselves."