Button finished fifth having started from eighth on the grid while Jarno Trulli, delayed by an off-track excursion early in the race and engine problems, took the chequered flag in eighth position.

A delighted Button said in a press release: "The team did a great job, especially with the set-up of the car. It was hard for me at the start of the race but once the rear tyres had worn in a little and lost some grip, the balance was very good.

"The only problem was getting stuck behind Panis after my first stop. I couldn't get past him, and lost quite a lot of time because of it. Overall, I had a very good race, and the team did a fantastic job."

Trulli lamented his small mistake, and loss of a strong position as a result. "First of all, I'm pleased that the team managed to score two more points today. As for me, I made a good start but then lost a few positions in the first sector, and was eighth at the end of the first lap," he commented.

"Even so, the car was working well when I began to feel a misfire on lap 3. That made me a little nervous, and I then locked up going into the first corner soon after and went off-track. Although the problems continued throughout the race, the car felt pretty strong nevertheless. In the end, it was my mistake which cost us points today."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, added: "Our strategy today was built around leading McLaren at the end of the first lap. When we failed to achieve that, it was obviously going to be a difficult race.

"On top of this, we experienced some problems on both cars with intermittent engine faults. Under these circumstances, achieving a points finish was the best we could hope for."