Speed hopes STR can keep progressing

Speed put in one of the most convincing drives of his F1 career to move up from 18th on the grid to finish ninth - although was left ruing the perfect reliability of the cars ahead of him that prevented him scoring a point.

And with the result easing questions about whether he was up to the job, Speed is now looking for further improvements in the two North American races coming up.

"It's really good to be carrying this sort of result and the momentum that it brings to the whole team back across to North America for the next two races," Speed wrote on his website.

"But, to be honest, this result is not such a surprise. We had a great race in Malaysia,  (and) Barcelona was looking awesome until a tyre blew up.

"Australia was not looking too bad either, while in Bahrain I was taken out in the second corner. So every race has been 'not so bad', it's just that we hadn't finished any.

"Finishing this one is great and I am really happy. I am very excited with what has happened here. It's a great result, especially after the disaster that was qualifying on Saturday. We just need to try and keep the momentum going."

Speed is still kicking himself, however, for having got so close to a point.

"That was some race from eighteenth on the grid to ninth, but it was just so frustrating that I couldn't have gone one better and given me and the whole team a well deserved point, after I made up more places than anyone else in the race," he said.

"What was really annoying is that in this race, usually lots of cars retire and that just didn't happen this time. In a way it was a bad year to have a great race here, because I really, really wanted to get in the points. But the important thing is that we have made a good step forward and I did not expect to be this competitive in the race.

"Now, I'm heading home for a couple of days, or at least I hope so, as at the time I'm writing this, it looks as though I might miss my flight. After that, I'll be heading home to California for a few days seeing all my folks before the Canadian Grand Prix."