Eric Boullier thinks there has been a "big misunderstanding" over McLaren's 'size zero' aero concept and insists the team did not impose anything on Honda.
The tight packaging of last year's car was labelled 'size zero', a concept which has been retained in the design of the MP4-31. The 2015 challenger was beset with reliability and performance issues as engine supplier Honda endured a troublesome return to the sport.
There has been some suggestion that the tight design had some impact on Honda's problems last year but Boullier says that is not the case.
"I think there is a big misunderstanding with this size zero concept, which I am going to try to kill now," Boullier said. "There is no overheating issues, never have been. Second, the size zero concept is to give the aerodynamicists as much space as possible to create and invent downforce.
"We have never ever imposed anything on Honda, they do what they want. If they come with an engine like this [big] then we have to accommodate this in our size zero, which would not be a size zero any more. There is absolutely no constraint and if we keep this concept because we are happy with it and we believe in the concept, it will help us catch up quicker faster than any others."
Earlier this week Fernando Alonso said his initial impression of the 2016 car was good, predicting McLaren could have the best chassis by the first race in Europe, May's Spanish Grand Prix. The team enjoyed an encouraging start to winter testing but completed just 57 laps combined on Wednesday and Thursday due to reliability issues.