Irvine happy with performance - of driver

"It's probably one of the best races I've had without reward," said the Ulsterman. "I had a lot of fun out there, it was very entertaining, a good workout."

Irvine, who was challenging for the championship at this race last year, suffered a number of setbacks during the race, but he seemed able to forget about them and enjoy the drive. "I had to pit early because we had a fuel pressure problems, and then had to carry extra fuel for the remainder of the race," he explained.

Despite describing the process of dragging Jaguar into a winning position as "hell," Irvine also praised his team and the progress they had made.

"I feel that we are getting there," he claimed. "If we package up a good qualifying session, a good start and a good race, there is no question we can challenge for points."

Team-mate Johnny Herbert on the other hand, suffered an abysmal race. The Englishman began to suffer from a gearshift problem early in the race, and this led to two spins and his eventual retirement.

"Unfortunately, it's another non-finish, which is not very enjoyable," said Herbert.