Tyre Problems Hinder McLaren Pair

Montoya was the only of the two who managed to score points with a fourth place finish, but the Colombian was over 40 seconds behind race winner Fernando Alonso after flatspotting one of his Michelin tyres early in the race.

Under current rules, teams are not allowed to change tyres unless they are damaged.

"We scored some good points and getting from 11th to fourth is quite good, but obviously we want to win," said the Colombian. "The race itself was not too bad physically despite the heat.

"However quite early on I flatspotted my front left tyre, which not only put the car out of balance but also caused a lot of vibration which hampered my vision - things like this make it difficult to get the best out of the car."

Teammate Raikkonen, the 2003 race winner who led for a lap after the first pitstops, had his race scuppered by a rear right tyre failure that left him limping back to the pits on three wheels. The Finn went on to finish in ninth position outside the points.

"A disappointing end to a race, which looked quite promising immediately after my first stop where I had gained two positions to take fourth," said Raikkonen. "However early on during my out lap a tyre valve failure caused a puncture to the right rear, and I was forced to go almost a full lap in order to get back to the pits.

"My times during the race showed that I was able to go at the same speed as the leaders. I got past Felipe Massa and closed the gap to Christian Klien and Michael Schumacher, but when I got there it was too late for an attack."