Sato delighted after 'awesome' result

Sato took full advantage of the chaotic race to emerge in the point-scoring positions, and then battled his way to sixth place, even overtaking McLaren's Fernando Alonso in the final stages of the race.

It was Sato's second point-scoring finish of the season, following his eighth place at the Spanish Grand Prix.

"What an awesome weekend for us," said Sato. "So many things happened during this race - I was really worried about what happened to Kubica and when I heard he was okay I felt relief and I would like to say a big thank you to the Formula One safety team.

"After that accident I then tackled the racing. It was a real mixture of competitive racing and safety car situations and our strategy worked well. At one stage I came into the pit because I saw an opportunity immediately after safety car was deployed and the pit lane was still open.

"The team knew and was on hand straight away. During the last few laps I had a great feeling because I was able to race with the front-runners and I was able to confidently overtake and take back my position.

"This was absolutely the most beautiful day in my racing career and is an amazing result. A huge thanks to the guys today and all the people who support us."

Teammate Anthony Davidson finished down in 11th after his car was damaged when he hit an animal.