Button: 'That was my best race'

The Englishman started ninth on the grid, one place behind his Renault team-mate Jarno Trulli. But he made a place up at the start, then got ahead of Trulli and McLaren's David Coulthard during pit stops. Button then inherited fifth place when Kimi Raikkonen retired ahead of him.

"That was the best race of my F1 career," he enthused. "We got to fifth by being quick. I pushed every lap to be as consistent as possible. It was a fantastic race for me, particularly on a circuit where I have had a nightmare for the past two years."

Renault managing director Jean-Jacques His took a lot of pleasure in the performance. "Jenson's performance showed that the car was quick right up until the finish, and the lap times were very competitive compared to the McLaren," he said. "Overall, I'm very satisfied with a good race, which has confirmed our fourth position amongst the constructors."

Button's third consecutive points finish has consolidated his fourth place in the drivers' standings.

Trulli finished ninth and was passed in the closing stages by Felipe Massa's Sauber. "During the first five laps the car was working really well, but I then gradually started to lose performance, possibly because of the high gearbox temperatures," he said.