Minardi's fitting tribute

Gianmaria Bruni finished 16th for the Anglo-Italian squad, despite running over his refueller, while team-mate Zsolt Baumgartner was forced to retire with an engine problem.

"It was a difficult race today with a number of problems, but I'm pleased that I was able to take the flag as a tribute to John," said Bruni. "I was struggling with the handling of the car for quite a bit of the race, and was then given a drive-through penalty for a blue-flag infringement. I also had a problem with my second pit stop, when a misunderstanding meant that I left the box too soon.

"Fortunately, none of the crew was seriously injured, and after that, I was just determined to get to the end of the race. It has been a tough weekend, and I hope we have much a better time at Hockenheim."

Baumgartner said: "I'm upset that I wasn't able to finish the race and take the chequered flag today. I had promised myself that I would do it, both for John and for me. I felt my performance was okay today - when you compare my lap times with Gimmi's, there was very little between us, and I also managed to overtake him after the first pit stop."

Team chief Paul Stoddart said: "I'm deeply touched by the level of support Minardi has received this weekend. It really does show that Formula 1 is far more of a family than people realise, but most importantly, it shows just how popular a figure John Walton was in the F1 community.

"As for today's race, Minardi got one car to the chequered flag, thus bringing to a conclusion what has been an enormously difficult weekend. I'm sure most people will understand that we have had a great deal on our minds, and I'm truly proud of the effort the whole team has put in."