Though he has generally remained silent regarding Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave McLaren, Ron Dennis is at pains to make it clear that the Englishman's departure was not a one-sided affair.

In the eyes of many, Hamilton's departure has hurt Dennis personally, the McLaren boss having nurtured and financed the youngster since he became a teenager.

However, speaking to the Confederation of British Industry's Business Voice magazine, Dennis insists that the move which sees Hamilton leave Woking for Mercedes wasn't entirely the driver's call.

Asked if he was disappointed by Hamilton's departure, Dennis said that "disappointed" is the wrong word to use. "Whatever people choose to do at the end of a contractual period, the professional thing to do is to be supportive of the other side.

"We don't wish him every success at Mercedes," he continues, "that's understandable, as he's obviously going to be a competitor - but we don't wish him anything negative."

"I think it's wrong to portray that Lewis left this team," added Dennis. "At the end of the day, you end up with a situation where you're going to separate if the circumstances aren't right.

"Life isn't about one person deciding anything. It's never that way. It's about circumstances. Everybody says: 'Am I bitterly this or bitterly that?' What? I'm a realist. Did we have the ability to create a situation where we could have stayed together? Categorically, yes. Would that have been the right thing to do? We didn't think so."