Alonso’s future has been the subject of speculation for most of this season amid the ongoing uncompetitive performance of the Honda power unit which powers McLaren in Formula 1.

Earlier this month McLaren ended its relationship with Honda to enter into an arrangement with Renault next year. The split with Honda, which is set to cost McLaren tens of millions, was motivated by the urgent need to restore McLaren's competitiveness and at the same time retain the two-time world champion, who was not going to re-sign until he was confident McLaren could deliver a car capable of winning.

It is also believed that Alonso wanted a single-year deal, rather than two, so that he had the option of exploiting possibilities that might arise next year, or indeed to leave his options open in the event that the McLaren did not prove a winner with Renault power.

"…I'm very excited for next year,” Alonso said, “with different expectations, and keen to put McLaren back where it deserves to be. I want Australia to arrive already.

"From the first moment I believed that McLaren's project – or at least the chassis side – had taken the right step in terms of aerodynamics and in terms of mechanical grip.

"We left all doors open, I talked to everybody who wanted to talk, with all the different projects I had on the table, but the most convincing one was McLaren's.

"They had their own particular situation with the engine: they needed to decide if they were sticking with Honda or changing supplier.”