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HUNGARORING, Hungary - Fernando Alonso welcomed a surprise present of points on Sunday (July 26) as McLaren's 2015 Hungarian GP went from woe to wonder in the space of a day.
Alonso, who got out and pushed his car when it broke down in qualifying on Saturday, started 15th and finished fifth at the Hungaroring.
Team mate Jenson Button, who had been 16th on the grid, joined him in the points with ninth place - the first time in 2015 that both McLarens finished in the points at the same race.
POINTS HAUL
The haul of points was more than double what McLaren, whose new partnership with Honda has made a troubled start, had managed in their previous nine outings.
As it happened: 2015 Hungarian GP
Alonso, who took his first Formula 1 win at the circuit with Renault in 2003, said: "It was a little present, to be honest, you know to be fifth. The race was a little surprise... chaotic in parts and some opportunities arrived and we took it. It's fantastic for the team."
Button, the 2009 F1 champion who also took his first F1 win at the circuit with Honda in 2006, agreed.
Button said: "It was a fun race and it's great to get points ahead of the summer break. The accidents and penalties certainly helped us, but we still did a good job out there today.
"This is a step forward for us, but we'll need to take another step if we're to repeat this sort of result. The next two races, at Spa and Monza, will probably be difficult for us but it's good to see we're making progress."
McLaren remained ninth of the 10 teams but are now only five points adrift of Sauber with nine races to go.
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