Too much mutual respect led to McLaren communications issues

The Japanese manufacturer enjoyed an extremely successful spell with the Woking-based team in the late 1980s and early 1990s before it left the sport in 1992.

The two companies were reunited in 2015, when Honda returned to F1 for the hybrid era.

However, the partnership ended prematurely after three disappointing seasons, with Honda moving to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and McLaren switching to Renault engines.

Both Honda and McLaren admitted that communication always proved…