Alonso rues missed opportunity to score

Engine failure ensured that Alonso remains on 55 points, tied with Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello and three behind Ralf Schumacher of Williams-BMW. He was running seventh when his engine failed, but he had the potential to finish much higher.

"It's only the fourth time I have retired this year, but it is particularly frustrating because, with Ralf and Rubens both going out as well, I could have taken fourth place in the championship," said the Spaniard. "We were competitive today, but I still wasn't happy with the car: it has been difficult to drive since the start of the weekend. We now have to look towards Suzuka, which should suit our package well."

His team-mate Jarno Trulli did make the flag, however, in a solid fourth position.

"The car became more and more competitive during the race and, towards the end, it was really fantastic," said Trulli, who had set the pace in most of the practice sessions this weekend. "The conditions made things more complicated today, but as a driver, you need to attack whatever the conditions, and that is what I did today.

"We were quick in both the dry and the wet, but I think the real damage was done by my mistake in the warm-up yesterday [when he crashed]. I should have got pole yesterday and, had I done so, we could have looked for a much better result. I'm pleased with the performance today, but it could have been better."