 The car was nicknamed the " size zero Formula One car " by the team for its distinct sharply tapered rear end , which was achieved by designing the Honda engine to operate at higher temperatures than other engines . At the end of the season , the car recorded a best finish of fifth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix , and had scored just twenty @-@ seven points , leaving McLaren ninth in the World Constructors ' Championship . Button and Alonso were classified in sixteenth and seventeenth positions respectively , in the World Drivers ' Championship , while Magnussen was not formally classified , as he did not start the one race that he entered . This made 2015 the most difficult season in Formula One that the team had endured in thirty @-@ five years , as a string of technical problems and retirements compromised the car 's performance . An analysis of the project pointed towards failure in communication between McLaren and Honda , Honda under @-@ estimating the technology required for the engine , and critical faults in the engine 's design , as the cause of the team 's problems . 
