Coulthard denies 'tit-for-tat' swerve

The Scot claimed he had not swerved deliberately across the circuit to block Schumacher just as the German had done it to him twice earlier this season. "I didn't do that to get revenge. I just had too much wheel spin off the line," said Coulthard. "I knew I was making a bad start off so I had to try and make it as difficult as I was allowed to do for someone to pass me. I don't know what happened to Michael. All I saw was Mika passing me."

Third place means he is now joint second in the championship just two points Michael Schumacher. Team-mate Mika Hakkinen finally drew level with him on points by finishing second with Rubens Barrichello taking his maiden win. However, the championship standings are not all Coulthard might have wished for.

"If Mika was in heaven for the first few laps for being in the lead I was in hell. I didn't make the most of my start," he said.

Coulthard also admitted to being at fault for not stopping when the safety car came out. "I didn't know the safety car was out and I didn't hear the radio call to pit because of the noise in the stadium and I went past the pits by the time I saw the car. It's one of those days in which things didn't quite work out for me," he said. "I suppose it could have helped a bit if I had not stopped. Overall I'm disappointed but in such tricky conditions it is easy to end up with nothing. I am pleased to be sitting here with points and closer to Michael in the championship. I was fifth or fourth when the safety car came out and I'm now third so that's way better a result that I was looking at, at one stage in the race."