Ralf encouraged by Toyota pace

The German had qualified in a season-best sixth position, but he was forced to retire with a wheel fixation problem just 24 laps into the race.

"It's clear that the outcome is not satisfactory but the positive thing is that we were back in the top ten with both cars in qualifying," said Schumacher.

"We had quite good laptimes today and we were able to stay with the BMWs and the Renaults while I was in the race. So we have showed a decent performance and I'm reasonably happy with that.

"The fact that we were able to fight higher up will give the team an extra push as we prepare for the next race at the Nurburgring."

Teammate Jarno Trulli endured a torrid day after suffering from handling problems for most of the race. The team decided to retire Trulli after 45 laps.

"I was expecting a tough race but as it turned out the race was even worse so we need to look into the reason for that," the Italian said. "The car was very nervous throughout and in the end the team brought me in because there was something wrong on the car which we will have to investigate.

"The positive thing is that Ralf was able to push and be consistent. So we must now forget this one and look forward to the next race because every Grand Prix is a different story. But for me it was a weekend to forget."