Bernie's job not for me, says Dennis

But Dennis did say that the sport needs to be run by one man in the mould created by Ecclestone, rather than a committee.

"I do what I do because I enjoy it," said Dennis. "I tell people I come to Grands Prix to relax and they would be amazed how true that is. It is damn tough when you are trapped behind an office desk all day. It is incredibly boring - and I couldn't think of anything more boring than trying to run Formula 1."

The future shape of the sport is in doubt due to F1's major car manufacturers threatening to form a breakaway series when the Concorde Agreement, the set of rules by which Formula 1 is governed, runs out in 2007.

The threat from the manufacturers comes in protest of the Kirch media group and EMTV buying a majority share in Ecclestone's holding company, SLEC, which owns the broadcasting and commercial rights to F1. The manufacturers do not agree with the amount of power Kirch now holds and are also wary of F1 being broadcast only on a pay-per-view basis.

Regardless of the power struggle Dennis believes there should only be one man at the top.

"I can't see any sport or any business run by an entity or a committee - it doesn't work," said Dennis. "It has got to be a structure with leadership and it can be a salaried employee or it can be a representative. But always companies, and sports have to be run by one person. That's logical. Committees don't do it. This is a far too dynamic business to be run on the basis of committee meetings."

Asked if he was that man he said: "The simple answer is no. The answer stems from my age and what gives me the enthusiasm to work hard. Power and wealth is not a particularly good motivator for me. It is for others, but not for me. I do still harbour ambitions inside the sport, but not in that area."