Stoddart Happy with Drivers' Performance

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart praised both his drivers for their performance at the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Neither Australian Mark Webber or Malaysian teammate Alex Yoong were able to make it to the end of the race after being hit by mechanical problems, but Stoddart was nonetheless happy with their performance in the race and said Yoong's was probably his best ever drive.

"Despite a valiant effort by both drivers this afternoon, luck was not with the team," said Australian Stoddart at the end of the day. "The power steering system problem on Mark's car, while not posing a danger, nonetheless prevented him from finishing the race.

"This was followed by an engine failure on Alex's car while he was driving possibly the best race of his career. He was definitely on course for a strong finish. Anyway, it's on to Japan, where the team will look to improve on its fortunes."

Webber was involved in a fight for position with Jaguar's Eddie Irvine when he was forced to retire when a problem developed with the power steering system on his car. Yoong had been running ahead of Pedro de la Rosa in the second Jaguar when his engine expired.