By alley - Sep 20, 2017, 12:09 PM ET

Boullier: Honda years ‘a proper disaster’ for credibility

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the three years with Honda have "been a proper disaster" for the team's credibility.

Since Honda returned to Formula 1 in 2015, the works partnership with McLaren has only delivered constructors' championship finishes of ninth in the first year and sixth last season. This year McLaren is again down in ninth and opted to end its partnership

in favor of Renault power units

for the next three seasons.

"Well, when you look at the last three years it's been a proper disaster for us in terms of credibility and getting new sponsors," Boullier told the official Formula 1 website. "And then you have to take the long-term view: In the next five years I am absolutely sure that we will go back to where McLaren belongs. And with this bouncing back we get our credibility back and it will rebuild our sponsor portfolio.

"It might take two to three years. We are ninth in the championship – with a top engine I think we would be fourth right now and just on the FOM money we could cover the engine side, so it will not be a big risk on the monetary side.

"Thanks to the shareholders who have been brave enough to take a sporting choice and not hurt McLaren. They could have said, 'Let's wait until Honda wakes up'.

"The crucial moment was after the Barcelona testing, when we tried to work and help Honda to improve the situation in a very short time, including having discussions with the other engine manufacturers, and without going into details, it became obvious that they again would miss the target that we had agreed for the season. Then by the summer we knew that we had to take a decision, to stay or not to stay."

However, Boullier admits it was difficult to end the partnership having had such high hopes in 2015. Asked how hard it was to agree to part ways, the Frenchman replied: "Very hard.

"The whole story for them, as it was for us, was to recreate the legacy of the past. On paper everything looked right. Just the way it's been done was not right, obviously. Luckily we managed to make it an amicable settlement and they understood that all the investment that they have made, they should get a reward from that at some stage. We can't wait – but they can get the reward with somebody else.

"I am so glad that they have decided to stay in Formula 1 and commit to another team. Personally I feel a bit sad that it didn't work, but these have been very intense three years."