Jenson Button was pleasantly surprised by McLaren's performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix despite the fact both he and Fernando Alonso failed to finish the race. The McLaren pair began the race with Button 17th and Alonso 18th but were involved in a battle in the middle of the pack for the first half of the race. Alonso was forced to retire, though, after being called in by his team after 21 laps while Button lasted double the amount of time as his team-mate. Jenson Button was happy to see McLaren be more competitive at the Malaysian Grand Prix . Fernando Alonso only lasted 21 laps in Sepang in his first race of the 2015 season . Button seen on the tail of Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz at the Sepang International Circuit . But Button was happy to see his team challenging again after a lonely Australian Grand Prix where he could only manage to nurse the car home. He told Sky Sports: 'I would rather this way around (being forced to retire) than get to the end and be nowhere. 'We were quicker than the Force India. The Sauber was there and the Lotus wasn't that much quicker. It was a nice surprise but it was also good to see where our strengths and weaknesses were compared to the rest of the cars. 'It was interesting to race with other people and a little bit unexpected. It wasn't so bad, it was just a little bit messy with the pit stop and safety car.'
Both McLaren drivers forced to retire at Malaysian Grand Prix . Fernando Alonso was called in by his team after 21 laps in Sepang . Jenson Button lasted double the time his Spanish team-mate did . Button, nevertheless, pleased and surprised to challenge midfield .