Dennis 'still in love' with Formula One

Just 48 hours after McLaren were excluded from this year's constructors' championship and handed a $100 million fine, Dennis said that he had not lost any of his love for the sport.

And he reiterated comments from earlier today that any decision about appealing the FIA verdict would take into account what was in the best interests of Grand Prix racing.

"No matter how beaten up I am, and no matter how kicked around I am, the fact is that I love Formula One," Dennis told reporters at Spa-Francorchamps.

"And if the right thing for F1 is to seek closure and, if it can be supported by the shareholders, I think that is the objective that I feel at the moment."

"Our passion is still for Formula One. That is our objective...and if the right way forward is to act as shareholders in the interests of F1, then we will go down that path."

Then, referring to the name of his regular press conference and the tough questioning that he was getting, Dennis smiled: "We've got a nickname - it's not Meet the Team, it's Beat the Team!"

Dennis added that the decision over the appeal against the penalty would have an impact on whether or not McLaren pressed ahead with their ongoing appeal against the loss of Constructors' Championship points from the Hungarian Grand Prix, which is due to be heard next Tuesday.

Although seeing through an appeal over constructors' points appears to be futile with the team having been thrown out of the championship, the matter is more complicated than first appears.

The $100 million (USD) fine will be offset against television rights earnings the team would have been due to receive for their current tally of constructors' championship points.

And with teams being rewarded on a sliding scale of financial benefits, McLaren are still keen to finish as high as possible in the constructors' standings to maximise their theoretical prize money and therefore minimise the fine.

So the 15 points available from Hungary could keep McLaren ahead of Ferrari in the standings until the end of the season, and in doing so knock several million pounds off their fine.

Dennis said: "The thing that we have to balance up is that if we accept that moving forward into an appeal on the findings of the World Council on Thursday, then the appeal process next week is relatively pointless," he said.

"But the financial settlement is structured in two parts...I am really looking at this moment, to try and identify those things that we feel comfortable about in order to achieve closure. If we can achieve closure, at this moment, that is my recommendation to the board and shareholders."