Jaguar encouraged by pace of R4

Local boy Mark Webber even had a tussle with Michael Schumacher in the race, running as high as fifth before the early pitstops shook out. The Australian did well to hold onto his R4 after part of the rear suspension failed, however, a similar fate to that which befell his Brazilian team-mate Antonio Pizzonia near the end.

"To have retired from fifth place at my home race is a bit disappointing but I remain positive because of the clear potential we showed today," said Webber. "I was on a two-stop strategy and although I knew Michael Schumacher was probably running heavier than me, it was a nice feeling to be fighting him on the track."

Pizzonia was dealing with all the newness of being a Formula 1 race driver and although lacking in consistency he did manage a best lap time of 1m29.217s, 0.5s quicker than Webber's.

"There has been a lot of information to take onboard, as a rookie," he said. "I enjoyed the race and found the performance of the car quite pleasing, although we can do much better. Mechanical failures of the kind we suffered today can be fixed, the biggest thing we take away from Melbourne is the pace of the R4."