Hockenbeim, Germany - Jenson Button believes that his fourth in the German Formula 1 GP here on Sunday could spark a revival of fortunes for Honda.
The 26-year-old Briton's best result for six races moved him back up to seventh in the World championship and raised smiles on the Honda pit wall.
Button drove a superb race after qualifying fourth and passing the Renault of World champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso on the opening lap and looked on course for a podium finish before being passed by Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren.
Despite losing out on a podium place he was delighted by the outcome.
"I had a great race and - getting past both Renaults at the start and then passing Kimi was very good.
"We've definitely taken a step forward and I think we can continue that into Hungary and the rest of the season."
Honda has been in turmoil since a management re-shuffle that, notably, saw Geoff Willis replaced as technical chief by Japanese Shuhei Nakamoto.
Dreadful weekends in Canada and France were low points for the squad.
During the build-up to the weekend Button said he had been "shocked" by how far the British-based team had fallen behind its rivals but believed improvements in recent testing would see a better performance.
"Stronger, yeah, but not this strong," he added. "The car was just great in the early part of the race." - AFP