STR delighted with double points finish

Jaime Alguersuari, who would have started 18th on the grid, was withdrawn to the pits before the race started to switch his car to a wet set-up.

With the race starting under the safety car, his losses were minimised, and Alguersuari kept his nerve to finish eighth and secure his first points of the season.

"I am very happy because to finish eighth having started last from the pit lane is a really good result for us," he said after the race. "The team did a good job and we also made the most of every opportunity that came our way, some of them down to the bad luck of other teams."

"We ran a perfect strategy in terms of when we decided to stop to change tyres," added the young Spaniard.

His team-mate Sebastian Buemi also drove a tidy race, dodging the collisions in an action-packed midfield and bringing his car home in 10th.

But Buemi was not entirely satisfied with his performance.

"I am pleased to have scored a point as that is always important," said the Swiss driver. "However, I am a bit disappointed because I think I could have done better myself and I'm not sure if changing to the slicks so early worked for me."

The pair emerged unscathed from a race in which almost every car was involved in an incident at one point or another, and a well-adapted strategy allowed them to post strong performances following the two-hour interval which broke up the action.

"I am very happy for Jaime that he finished eighth," said team principle Franz Tost. "It will be good for his self-confidence as he has been struggling slightly in recent races and we can expect better things from him now. Sebastien also did a good job, coming home tenth."

"Our strategy worked well, gambling to come in early to change to slicks, which proved to be the correct decision and paid off," added Tost. "The whole team deserves praise today, as it was not easy managing the situation over such a long time with the break in the middle of the race, but they did an excellent job."