Hungarian GP: Fernando Alonso says Ferrari's fifth 'little miracle'

The third row grid spot is the Spaniard's best since the Spanish Grand Prix, with Alonso admitting that Ferrari lost its way during recent races.

But he says the fifth place is a good foundation for rekindling some frontrunning form.

"Yeah, definitely [a positive result]," he said.

"It was a little miracle today to be fifth. I think it's a track that's not historically good for Ferrari with these low speed corners.

"To be today a little bit closer to the pole position is good news, especially after being 10th on the grid in Silverstone, eighth in Nurburgring, coming back to the top five is good news.

"We cannot hide that we have Mercedes in front of us, Red Bull, and Lotus, and when you have the fourth fastest car it's a bit more difficult.

"With no doubts we were a little bit lost in Silverstone. In Nurburgring we improved, but we were still not happy. Here, we are happier.

"We were worried about not being competitive at all here, so this is a good boost in motivation that we can have a winning car soon after the summer."

Alonso added that he has not given up on taking points out of Sebastian Vettel's championship lead in Budapest.

"He starts second and we start fifth, so the first opportunity will be the first corner," he said.

Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa will start seventh, the Brazilian hoping to make progress during the race.

"This track is tough for overtaking, but the race is long, it will be very hot, so many things can happen," he said.

"But talking about performance, we don't have the fastest car on the track.

"We normally gain a little bit from qualifying to the race, and I hope we can see that tomorrow, and be able to gain some positions. But we need to wait and see."