Jenson Button is convinced ailing McLaren will one day challenge the might of Mercedes despite the two teams currently at opposite ends of the pace spectrum at present . McLaren and new power-unit supplier Honda suffered abject humiliation in the season-opening grand prix in Australia earlier this month . The team were already without the services of big-name acquisition Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard sustained concussion in a testing accident in Barcelona . Come the race , reserve Kevin Magnussen failed to even make it to the start line due to a power-unit issue that forced the young Dane to pull over on the formation lap . Jenson Button waves to the crowd before the first race of the season in Australia . McLaren were well of the pace in Melbourne ... Button finished 11th , two laps behind winner Lewis Hamilton . At least Button saw the chequered flag , describing it at the time as ' a small victory ' , albeit finishing two laps down on race-winner Lewis Hamilton in 11th and last place . Despite McLaren 's seemingly hopeless position heading into Sunday 's Malaysian Grand Prix , a positive Button can see hope on the horizon . 'We 're a hell of a long way behind , but I feel we have something we can mould into something very special in the future , which is very exciting , ' said Button . 'Being 1.5 seconds off the pace and knowing you 've peaked with your package , that 's got to hurt . 'Whereas at least we have a glimmer of hope we can possibly challenge Mercedes one day . ' Asked as to the reasoning behind his belief , Button replied : 'The direction with the car in terms of aerodynamics , but also with how aggressive this engine is , which is why we 're having so many issues . 'In many ways - it 's probably wrong for me to say - it 's probably more like a Mercedes than it is the other two manufacturers ( Ferrari and Renault ) in terms of design , aggressiveness and packaging . Lewis Hamilton sprays champagne from the podium after winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix . Hamilton led team-mate Nico Rosberg home in Melbourne as Mercedes dominated the opening race of 2015 . 'It 's just going to take a little bit of time , but if we did n't have that hope you would n't see the strong effort by the whole team . 'They 're not heading to races because they 're paid to , they 're doing so because they 're passionate about racing . They 're looking forward to the future as much as I am . ' The one bonus for McLaren this weekend is Alonso is poised to return , pending a final medical check by the FIA at the Sepang International Circuit on Thursday . Racing director Eric Boullier , for one , is happy to have the Spaniard back on board as he said : ' I 'm pleased to see Fernando back in the car . 'He 's raring to go , and I know he 's been working hard behind the scenes to prepare himself for this weekend . ' Fernando Alonso is poised to return to the McLaren cockpit providing he passes an FIA medical on Thursday .
McLaren driver Jenson Button optimistic heading into the Malaysian GP . He finished two laps down on race-winner Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne . But Briton believes McLaren can 'possibly challenge Mercedes one day '