Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner believes that Ron Dennis' departure from Formula 1 would be great loss for the sport.
It appears likely that the 69-year-old McLaren boss will be relinquishing his chairmanship management duties with the McLaren group at the end of the current year, the unwilling casualty of a huge shareholder battle between the companies owners.
Should Dennis' termination come to fruition, Formula 1 may will live to regret it believes Horner, even if the two men have endured their fare share of disagreements over the years.
"I only have the utmost respect for Ron," Horner told Sky Sports News HQ.
"We've gone head-to-head and fought over sponsors, engineers, drivers, whatever, but he's always played fair.
"It would be a great loss if he's not involved, certainly for McLaren and also Formula 1."
Ron Dennis' track record in Grand Prix racing since he took over McLaren in 1981 make him one of the sport's most successful figures.
"What he has achieved in Formula 1 is quite remarkable," added Horner. "What he has built McLaren into is an example to us all.
"He's a passionate man and he argues for the right things for Formula 1, sometimes to the detriment of his own team."
While things come to a head at McLaren, and an outcome expected before the end of the year, a spokesperson for the company insisted that Ron Dennis would choose on his own the time and place of his departure.
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