Buemi disappointed with early exit

The Swiss, who started 13th, was battling with eventual 10th-place finisher Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari when he was forced to make an extra stop after a refuelling rig problem.

"I'm very disappointed that we had reliability problems in a race where we might have got a good result," said Buemi.

"I was behind Kimi and pushing hard until my second stop when we had a big problem as no fuel went in and I had to come in again.

"Finally I had an issue with the gearbox which meant I had to stop."

Team-mate Jaime Alguersuari admitted that he had a tough race, and is now hoping to make the chequered flag in next week's Japanese Grand Prix after three consecutive retirements.

"It would have been difficult for me to do better today, as conditions in the race in terms of the track and the heat were very tough," said Alguersuari. "I ran at my own pace and then I was stopped with a brake problem.

"Now we go to Suzuka where I hope to do better and finish the race with no technical issues."