Kevin Magnussen thinks Ron Dennis’ departure is actually "healthy" for McLaren.
The Danish driver was a protege of the Woking team’s supremo and made his F1 debut for McLaren in 2014.
But Magnussen was then ousted, famously learning of the decision by email on his birthday.
"Ron was my boss when I drove there," the Renault driver, who will switch to Haas for 2017, told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet in Abu Dhabi.
"It was not Ron’s decision that I left McLaren, it was other things. Maybe he was responsible for it somehow, but it was not him who chose it," Magnussen insisted.
"As such I have nothing against him. But I think actually that it’s very healthy for McLaren to get some fresh blood in."
Indeed, Dennis was recently axed from his position as group CEO by his fellow McLaren shareholders, and replaced as a director by Zak Brown.
Magnussen continued: "To be honest it looks positive with what is happening there. Someone like Zak is really good on the commercial side and seeing things from a business perspective."