Dennis: 'Adrian will be with us in head and heart'

Dennis insisted Newey will not be going to Jaguar Racing despite the legal battle between the teams for the services of Formula 1's top designer.

The McLaren chief admitted Newey changed his mind about moving to Jaguar in a reputed £3.5million a year deal - a turnabout which sparked the dispute with their rival team - but it would have no effect on his future with the Woking-based outfit.

"Everybody in life changes their mind - it happens to all of us," said Dennis at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. "He changed his mind. But he is not working for Jaguar - he is working for McLaren.

"All the circumstances surrounding that and the issues coming from it will be discussed in the right environment with the right qualified people. That environment is not the pitlane, it is not the media. Everybody knows exactly where these things need to be resolved and that's where they will be resolved.

"I am absolutely certain that Adrian will be with us in heart and head for the next few years and what has been presented (by Jaguar) has been misleading, and as things unfold at the appropriate time you will come to appreciate that.

"That Adrian changed his mind, there is no question. The circumstances surrounding that mind change were honourable, correct, owed their roots in some genuine misunderstanding. He was not comfortable with changing his mind, as was expressed in our quotes in the press release, and apologised for changing his mind, but that is simply what he did."

Dennis, who signed Newey from Williams and has seen the Englishman help his team to two drivers' and one constructors' title, also paid tribute to the quietly spoken 42-year-old.

"He is a very focussed, highly talented and motivated individual. He is completely normal in the way that he conducts his life, how he runs his family life. He is a good father, good husband and has all the same pressures and problems that bother us all.

"The circumstances that surround this are not complex, they are simple, but my colleagues, myself and Norbert (Haug, Mercedes boss) are totally supportive of Adrian and our views and opinion of him are unchanged."

Jaguar boss Bobby Rahal insists he has not given up the fight for Newey and the next stage in the battle will be a High Court hearing in London on Tuesday.

The Milton Keynes based outfit said on Thursday it had taken out an injunction preventing McLaren employing Newey after his original contract ends on July 31st next year.

But McLaren, who were not represented at the initial hearing, said that the injunction would not effect the extension Newey signed last week.