McLaren have now confirmed the departure of Jost Capito.
Just four months after he started work, it emerged before Christmas that the 58-year-old German - who had left VW to be McLaren's new CEO - was in fact now leaving McLaren.
The news came amid a period of upheaval for the beleaguered British team, whose supremo Ron Dennis was ousted at the end of a bitter shareholders dispute.
Indeed, it has emerged that McLaren will drop the iconic "MP4" - which for decades had referred to Dennis's 'Project 4' organisation - from their car name for 2017.
Now, Italy's Corriere della Sera confirms that Capito has in fact left the team.
A team spokesman told GMM: "Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with Jost with regard to what is and will be needed to make the team successful again.
"As a result, we have agreed that he will leave McLaren Racing and will now consider other opportunities. We wish him success in his future endeavours."
Stoffel Vandoorne will join Fernando Alonso at McLaren for the 2017 championship.
