The renewal of the McLaren Honda alliance was meant to signal the return of a once powerful partnership in Formula One. Honda know how to make competitive engines and McLaren know how to make a competitive chassis. However the great expectations for 2015 never happened, in Donald Trump speak the 2015 F1 campaign has been a disaster, a total disaster for both McLaren and Honda. As a result McLaren is losing sponsors and Honda is scratching its head, nevertheless both are totally focused on returning to the very top and tasting champagne success again. To finish first you first have to finish but McLaren will not be finishing first at the last Grand Prix of the season and will instead opt to use the weekend to effectively begin their winter test schedule early. McLaren will head to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with multiple new updates and parts with the intention to test them during the Grand Prix weekend. Eric Bouillier, McLaren’s Racing Director said;  “Although it is the last race of the season, our development has not stopped, and we are still bringing new parts and design elements to the car for the final grand prix. Our development is constant and we place huge importance on learning at every opportunity”. McLaren does have an outside chance of stealing 8th place from Sauber but for a team with multiple world titles, race wins and pride vying for 8th place in the championship must feel like a kick in the teeth. However Boullier also said; “All of our efforts this weekend will be beneficial to next year’s car, and it’s essential that we maximise the final sessions of the year, not only to end the season on a high, but to use the invaluable information we can glean from them and channel it into tangible progress over the winter period.” Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Jenson Button was more cautious; “We knew it was going to be a difficult season, and the last few races in particular have been very difficult. This year is more of a testing year for us. In some of the races we’ve done OK in unusual circumstances” said Button. Button also continued by saying “Every race we have brought new parts, and whether you see them or not in terms of laptime, it is all learning for next year. “But it’s going to be a long winter, not an easy winter to find the time we need, but a winter we are all looking forward to”.