McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has slammed his fellow shareholders' decision to oust him.
Rumours became fact on Tuesday as the 69-year-old confirmed that he has been axed from the company he built up over the past 35 years.
In a statement, he said the decision to "force through" the change by fellow co-owners Mansour Ojjeh (TAG) and Bahrain left him "disappointed".
The Times quoted F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone as saying that the decision to axe Dennis is "stupid".
Dennis agrees that his axing comes "despite the strong warnings from the rest of the management team about the potential consequences of their actions on the business".
"The grounds they have stated are entirely spurious; my management style is the same as it has always been", added Dennis, referring to McLaren's 20 F1 titles and billion-dollar business.
The Briton clarified that he is now on "gardening leave", and said that he would retain his 25% McLaren share and seat on the board.
"In addition I intend to launch a new technology investment fund once my contractual commitments with McLaren expire," added Dennis.
In a separate statement, McLaren said that Dennis is one of F1's "true greats" whose contribution to the team was "colossal".
