Button's charge was a highlight of the Turkish GP

The Englishman, whose grid position was caused by a mistake in qualifying, said it was his "best race of the season".

Button, who dropped two places at the start, said: "It was just picking them off. The car was working really well. Finishing fifth never felt so good.

"It makes the whole team very confident for the rest of the year."

Button said he was in pain from a problem in the cockpit during the race, but that he was able to put it from the back of his mind.

"After 15 laps the car began hurting me, but the pain was worth it. The adrenaline helps you through the pain," he said.

We are getting closer to the top two teams, so we are very excited about the next race in Monza Jenson Button

"To work through the field was exciting and it was my best race of the season.

"We were all really disappointed after qualifying because we had been so strong all weekend were expecting really, really good things.

"I really enjoyed the race! I had a terrible start, but to work my way through the pack was fantastic. For me, it was probably one of the most exciting races this year.

"The result is a little disappointing in a way because we have had good pace all weekend, but we've just got to try not make the same mistake again.

"It has been a fantastic weekend for the team and it has shown that we are getting closer to the top two teams, so we are very excited about the next race in Monza."

BAR had a poor start to the season, when their car was uncompetitive and they were banned for two races after being disqualified for running an underweight car at the San Marino Grand Prix.

But they have come on increasingly strong in the last few races, which have been overshadowed by a row over Button's future.