Ron Dennis on Thursday said he is "pretty sure" Lewis Hamilton will stay at McLaren in 2013.
But the company’s executive chairman, who as team boss in 2007 brought the former world champion into F1 100 grands prix ago, took exception to the common view that it is 27-year-old Hamilton who is wielding the most powerful hand in the negotiations over his next contract.
"There’s no reason Lewis won’t be driving our cars in the future," Dennis told BBC radio.
"I think people get the wrong impression though, as when I last looked at the contract I was paying him. It’s a question of whether we employ him, not the other way around."
Dennis continued: "But if things pan out the way I expect them to I’m pretty sure he will be sat in a McLaren next year."