Monteiro Pleased after 'Best F1 Race'

The Portuguese rookie's day started out poorly after he was forced to change his Toyota engine for the race, which meant he was sent to the back of the grid.

But the Jordan driver managed to complete the race and beat his teammate Narain Karthikeyan to 12th position.

"Today was my best Grand Prix so far this season," said Monteiro. "I had no problem and I was able to push harder and harder throughout the race. The tyres worked very well. Bridgestone have made a big improvement and we have also made some progress on the balance of the car.

"I had an engine problem this morning and I had to start from the back of the grid but in the end I have finished 12th. I have really enjoyed this race and I would like to thank the team for the great job they did this morning, changing the engine so quickly."

Karthikeyan, meanwhile, had to settle for 13th place after losing his position to Monteiro when he spun during the race.

"I have made a reasonable start and the first few laps were OK," said Karthikeyan. "I was pushing hard as Tiago Monteiro was catching. Then I made a mistake in running a bit too wide in a chicane, went in the dirt and Tiago overtook me.

"I am glad we both finished the race and that the team has been able to gather some useful data."