Ex-Lewis Hamilton F1 boss starts '£30m mega-mansion project... with secret THAMES tunnel'

Lewis Hamilton and Ron Dennis at McLaren in 2008 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Ex-Lewis Hamilton boss 'starts £30m mega-mansion project... with secret THAMES tunnel'

Ron Dennis' new mansion plans read like the plot of a James Bond film

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 30 March 2025 16:58

Lewis Hamilton’s former boss at McLaren, Ron Dennis, is reportedly building a £30 million mansion with a secret tunnel linking it to the River Thames.

Dennis served as CEO and team principal at McLaren for over 30 years, where the team won seven constructors’ titles and 10 drivers’ championships, with their last drivers’ title won by Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

The former McLaren boss was responsible for bringing Lewis Hamilton into F1, with Dennis signing a 13-year-old Hamilton to McLaren’s young driver programme back in 1998, and the team boss has managed many other F1 greats including Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

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In 2017 however, Dennis sold his remaining shares in McLaren for £275 million, and even went on to serve in the British government under David Cameron and Theresa May’s respective governments as British Business Ambassador for the UK and within the Ministry of Defence.

Ron Dennis builds mega-mansion

According to the Daily Mail, work is underway for Dennis’ recent project, a £30 million mega-mansion, after diggers were seen excavating a 175-acre site where the property will be built in Berkshire.

Plans were initially approved in 2018, and the property will include several unique features such as a Roman baths-style underground swimming pool, a hair salon and a flower room.

The home will be over three-storeys and will also have a basement, which will include wine cellars as well as a games room and a cinema.

Dennis’ mega-mansion will contain six bedrooms, a roof terrace and water features, whilst also having a room dedicated to glassware and crockery.

However, the truly unique feature of the property is a secret tunnel that links the mansion to the River Thames where he will be able to access his boat privately.

The plans for the mansion had to be resubmitted and approved again in 2023, but now work is underway on land that was formerly part of the Park Place estate.

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