I'm interested in knowing the time sequence in which the following happened.

- Honda's decision to leave Williams

- Honda's decision to join McLaren

- McLaren signing Aryton Senna

Also if anyone remembers any rumours of the time regarding these issues.

Thank you very much!

Not sure this will be precisely what you're after because of your word decision. However .... in terms of announcements, Honda announced they would no longer be supplying Williams on the 5th of September 1987, the day before the Italian Grand Prix.

On the same day they announced that they were to supply McLaren, with Ayrton Senna as the team's new driver.

Source: Cimarosti.

Those with a better recollection of the rumour mills 19-20 years ago may care to take the 'decision' issue!

I'm going off the top of my head, so maybe this is well-known already.

I recall that Aryton had a testing accident at Hockenheim just before the German GP; something to the effect that a tire or the "active suspension" failed, and he had a bad accident. He claimed he wasn't interested in staying with Lotus anymore.

Before the Hungarian GP, Ayrton announced his choice to move to McLaren. I don't remember if McLaren had locked up the Honda engines by this time, as I don't have my Autocourse near me at work. My guess is that Honda did an agreement with McLaren around this time.

Before the Italian GP, Piquet announced he was going to Lotus. That might substantiante that Honda had firmly decided to support the Lotus team for another year, since Piquet had quite a lead in the championship by this time; not to mention, Satoru Nakajima wasn't wanted by Williams or McLaren in exchange.