Hampshire’s Martin Whitmarsh admits that he is “honoured and humbled” to have been tasked with bringing the America’s Cup trophy to Britain for the first time in its 164 year history.

The former McLaren Formula One team principal, who was born in Lyndhurst in the New Forest, was brought in by Lymington’s four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie to be chief executive of Ben Ainslie Racing’s (BAR) campaign to bring the oldest trophy in world sport to Britain.

Whitmarsh, a founding director of Hamble Aerostructures, moved from British Aerospace to McLaren in 1989 but left the Formula One team last year after more than 24 years of services.

However, in March this year, Ainslie nailed down Whitmarsh to head up the challenge for the 35th edition of the America’s Cup that starts on Hampshire’s waters next month, with the first regatta of the America’s Cup World Series, which is a preliminary round of the competition.

The next America’s Cup will be held in Bermuda in 2017.

“Like a lot of people I’ve taken a passing interest in the America’s Cup over the years,” said Whitmarsh, speaking at BAR’s new headquarters as they announced a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover.

“I was car testing in France when Ben (Ainslie) was turning around the America’s Cup in San Francisco (in 2013).

“I remember watching that and suddenly I was wowed by it.

“They were beautiful boats before but this was something different, it was a technology race, it was exciting, it had that televisual quality that the cup had missed before.

“It was really exciting to watch, so people are drawn to that kind of thing and you can see it can be commercialised.

“You can build it into a sustainable business.”

Whitmarsh believes that the America’s Cup has reached a turning point and that national interest will grow, especially with the World Series event being held in Portsmouth.

“Ben called me only a few months ago now,” said Whitmarsh, who was given an honorary degree by Southampton Solent University in 2013 to become a doctor of technology.

“I consider myself humbled and honoured, and it was a pretty quick decision.

“It’s a great challenge, to be involved in a great team like this that is trying to bring the cup back here after 164 year is a fantastic and exciting opportunity.

“The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of sailing, like Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport.

“We’ve got the best sailors in the world. Now the challenge for us is to have the best boat and to do that is a combination of team-work and technology.

“We got to make sure we make the connection to the public. There’s an incredible opportunity here.

“If we give Ben and the rest of the sailors the right boat, I’m sure they’ll get the job done.

“We're not here for just one campaign,” he added.

“Clearly this building hasn’t been built for just Bermuda 2017, this has been built so hopefully we can go and give the best boat we can to Ben and the team and win the cup.

“But beyond that we want to defend it, hopefully in the future, if we’re good enough to win but to build the business beyond that.”