Newey undecided on his future

It is thought that the Briton wants a break from F1 and that he could take a year-out to pursue other interests.

"My contract with McLaren runs to 31 July next year so I will be technical director until then and after that we'll have to see," he told the BBC. "I haven't made any decisions to be perfectly honest. At the moment, I'm mainly focused on next year's car and working through that - then some point next spring I'll think about life after that."

Newey joined McLaren in August 1997 having spent six years with Williams, but rumours that he wants to take a break have been around for some time and he has often spoken about his wish to design a yacht for the America's Cup.

If Newey did decide the time was right for a temporary exit, it couldn't come at a worse time for the team who has struggled to match its rivals for pace this year in the ailing MP4-19.

The new MP4-19B was introduced at the French Grand Prix with improved results, but it was the race a week at Silverstone later that the car finally showed some true pace with Kimi Raikkonen taking pole position in qualifying and second place in the race.