McLaren encouraged by MP4-19B

Although the pair finished sixth and seventh respectively, they were on the pace of the Ferraris, Renaults and BARs ahead of them so that they finished just three seconds down on fifth-placed Jenson Button (BAR). It is the first race this season that the team has not been trounced by its rivals and is welcome relief for all involved, including both drivers.

"At the start I lost two positions to be fifth after the first corner," said Coulthard. "This was a shame as the race showed that both Kimi and I were able to have the same speed as the three cars ahead of me who were fighting for third. I lost some grip during the middle of the race and had a few problems with traffic. However an encouraging and reliable race debut for the 19B and I'm looking forward to my home grand prix at Silverstone next weekend and the rest of the season."

Team-mate Raikkonen rued his mistakes in qualifying but has been left optimistic by the performance of the MP4-19B.

"It's always difficult starting from ninth, and I think if I had not messed up in qualifying yesterday we would have done much better," said the Finn. "I made a good start and gained two places but it was not enough. The speed of the 19B is good, and I'm confident for the rest of the season particularly as we have further developments coming."

Team boss Ron Dennis added: "It might not be apparent from our finishing positions but the MP4-19B is definitely a significant step in the right direction. We don't know why David lost two positions at the start, but that definitely penalised his race and allowed the leaders to get away. There will be continuous development on the 19B for the rest of the season, and we should be able to improve further for McLaren's home race next weekend."