Jenson Button believes McLaren have already made progress

McLaren driver Jenson Button has said that he is optimistic ahead of the new season, despite difficulties in winter testing.

The team were riddled with reliability issues throughout pre-season and they start their 2015 campaign on the back foot.

However, Button has said that he sees progress already and he hopes that they can compete with the dominant Mercedes team at some stage this season, although that is unlikely at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

He told BBC Sport: "I'm so excited to be back in Melbourne. After the ups and downs of 2014, I feel that the challenge of 2015 is a completely new chapter in my career and I'm totally up for it.

"McLaren-Honda has been working incredibly hard over the winter, and although we would of course have liked to cover more miles in Jerez and Barcelona, I can definitely see a difference in the car from the first day to the last.

"The car is a solid base which gives me optimism that we will get there, we just need patience."

Button is a three-time winner in Australia.