Monteiro Continues with Record Run

The Portuguese, already the rookie with the biggest number of consecutive race finishes, completed his 11th Grand Prix of the season to continue with his flawless run.

Monteiro, however, finished down in 17th place after there was just one retirement in today's race.

"It was a good race for me again," said Monteiro. "I think we chose the right strategy: we were quite heavy at the beginning and planned on having two stops. I had a great start, passed a few cars and followed Narain as closely as possible in order not to let him get too far ahead.

"Unfortunately Narain experienced some problems and I was racing alone for a long time. Then, halfway through the race, I was told on the radio that Sato was still behind me. So I was really pushing like crazy to stay away but he was just to quick.

"There was nothing I could have done. Everybody was very reliable for this race therefore it was very hard for me to finish in a higher position. I have now finished 11 races out of 11. It will be hard for the next rookies to beat this record."

His teammate Narain Karthikeyan did not enjoy such good reliability and was forced to retire after just 11 laps.

"It is very frustrating, as it is the second weekend in a row that I am experiencing some problems with my car, although I managed to finish the race in Magny-Cours," he said. "It is really a pity as I was going very well all weekend."