Irvine takes blame for losing second spot

The Ulsterman slid off the track under pressure from David Coulthard as they were battling for second place 13 laps from the finish.

He went for a long trip across the grass before coming back onto the track in third place five seconds down on the Scot.

And that was where he stayed to the chequered flag - the loss of an extra place costing him another two points that could prove crucial in the final five races of the season.

He now has just a two-point lead over Mika Hakkinen who ended a five-race drought with a welcome victory at the Hungaroring.

'I was having problems with the car long before I went off the track,' said Irvine.

'The tyres were good to start with but then they went off big time and I was struggling with the front of the car and struggling with the rear.

'I was surprised we weren't more competitive. We got a couple of things wrong today.'

Irvine was also plagued by a failed electronic sensor on the differential which affected the car's handling.

'I was pushing like hell because I didn't want David in my gearbox for the remaining laps but I lost control of the rear and just went off,' admitted Irvine.

'It's disappointing, but there were a couple of things we did not do particularly well this weekend and we will have to talk about that.

'We weren't on the pace of the McLarens which surprised me.

'But I can still win the title. I am still leading the championship which is good but it is more important to be leading after the last race and anyway it's good for Formula One because the title battle is so close.

'There is no point making predictions about the last races because we didn't expect to win in Hockenheim but did and have lost here when we expected to win.'