It seems to me that McLaren lost their way after the building of the Technology Centre. The car company wing rather than providing a stable base for the F1 team has pulled concentration from it.
Management isn't helping. Ron was obsessive but it worked, those that followed him have carried forth his obsessive approach but turned it into a toxic atmosphere.
Ron put together much of the current team. Ron is stuck in the past as are certain other relics of F1 (Symmonds), he's not the answer. That obsessive nature and the belief that working harder and being more strict somehow wins over knowledge, creativity and finding solutions by having different types of voices within a team rather than storm trooper like management is what is probably required.
Ron is entirely responsible for the current situation, most of the current staff and the complete disaster of Honda.
Brawn was forward thinking, saw where F1 was going and built a team to compete at the top level for years to come and what a ridiculously fine job he did.
Any big team struggling that didn't go over there and offer him the world to rebuild the team over 3 years then do as he wants, leave or stay and continue, is mental. Brawn is horrendously wasted in his current position and those who didn't pay him anything to rebuild them are utterly utterly stupid.
The idea of Ron coming back to fix the very problem he created is insane to me. He'd come back, make insane unreasonable demands, hire people he thinks would fit the corporate culture rather than who could rebuild and change things from running the way Ron demands who would be better.
Mclaren needs to move forward, they're style hasn't worked for the best part of 20 years. They've become a PR firm who care more about the message than the product and Ron started them on that path. Mclaren ARE Ron speak, bull ****, we have the best chassis, with a better engine we'd be challenging for wins, etc, etc. The very very last thing they need is king of double speak coming back. Mclaren need to become a modern racing team and throw out the BS culture that is holding them back, not reinforce it.