Back in May 2013, while still McLaren CEO eight months before the boardroom coup in which he was ousted by Ron Dennis, Martin Whitmarsh welcomed Honda's return to Formula 1 as the engine and technology partner to the team with which it had dominated in the late eighties.

"The names of McLaren and Honda are synonymous with success in Formula 1, and, for everyone who works for both companies, the weight of our past achievements together lies heavily on our shoulders," he said.

"But it's a mark of the ambition and resolve we both share that we want once again to take McLaren-Honda to the very pinnacle of Formula 1 success.