Pitstop problem costs Vettel points

The Italian GP winner had been running seventh in the opening stint when a sticking left front wheel in his first pitstop cost him vital track position, dropping him to an eventual ninth at the finish.

"I had a reasonably good start, but then I was surprised by Nick (Heidfeld) going down the outside and he passed a few cars," Vettel said of his race. "After that I had to defend my position against Robert (Kubica) on the opening lap.

"Then, I had quite a clean first stint. But in the first pit stop we had a problem with the front left wheel which wouldn't come off. I think that cost me a position in the points.

"P9 is not bad but it's the most frustrating place, just outside the points."

There was further frustration for Scuderia Toro Rosso, who saw both their cars start the race in points positions, when Sebastien Bourdais collided with Jarno Trulli at the first corner.

"I'm not sure what happened with Trulli at the first corner. I guess he didn't see me," said the Frenchman. "I was halfway alongside him and he turned in.

"I was right under Sebastian's rear wing and of course we are all very close in the first corner. We touched, he spun and I went really wide, dropped to the back and that was my race spoilt.

"It was a shame because after that, every time I was in clean air I had a good pace and passed around half a dozen cars.

"Finishing 13th, having been last is not a bad result, but it's disappointing, given we started eighth with a car good enough to score points today."

Team principal Franz Tost summed up by adding: "If you start from sixth and eighth and don't score points then something must have gone wrong."