Lewis Hamilton said he was "thrilled" after qualifying in second position for the Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren appeared to be well off the pace during pre-season testing, but major upgrades brought to Melbourne have worked instantly, and Hamilton was able to split the Red Bulls despite his KERS not working.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to be up here today," Hamilton said. "The guys back at the factory have done an unbelievable job, really a massive step this weekend the car's feeling fantastic.
"However, although I was pleased with my performance today, my KERS Hybrid stopped working halfway round my final lap - I had 40% left that I couldn't deploy - but that would have been worth only an extra couple of tenths. Still, it's good to know, because this car platform is now definitely something we can build upon.
"Tomorrow is a long race and it won't be won at the first corner. We need to take home some good points from this weekend because we know our car will only get better."
With team-mate Jenson Button in fourth position, McLaren have jumped ahead of Ferrari as the main challengers to the reigning constructors' champions. But with Hamilton's fastest lap being more than seven tenths slower than Sebastian Vettel's pole time he said there was a lot hard work still ahead.
"Of course we still have a lot of work to do but I think we've really got ourselves on the right track and a great foundation for us to build upon so I know the guys back at the factory will keep going but a big thank you to everyone at home; keep pushing."
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