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Verstappen Pleased with Race Finish

Dutchman Jos Verstappen was happy to finish the Australian Grand Prix despite not scoring any points in his return to Formula One racing.

Dutchman Jos Verstappen was happy to finish the Australian Grand Prix despite not scoring any points in his return to Formula One racing.

"I think the most important thing for the whole team is to get the car to the finish, and that's what we did today," said Verstappen, who finished in 11th position one lap down. "I had to jump into the T-car because of an oil leak in my race car. That was a bit difficult, as the spare car was set up for Justin, but it was still reasonably all right.

"The balance felt pretty good, especially on the first set of tyres, but after the first pit stop, the balance was gone. After that, it was just a tough race to the chequered flag for me."

Due to the problem with his racing car, Verstappen was forced to start from the pitlane, while teammate Justin Wilson did it from the back of the grid following Minardi's decision to abort their qualifying laps.

That allowed them to work on the cars overnight and prepare them for a possible wet race. The gamble, despite some rain in the morning, did not pay off as the track was nearly dry by the time the race started.

Briton Wilson, making his Grand Prix debut today, was forced to retire due to a hole in his car's radiator.

"It was fantastic to have the opportunity of getting towards the midfield and being able to race some of the other guys and drive past them," he said. "It was good fun and an enjoyable experience, especially in my first Grand Prix. It was just bad luck to get a stone through the radiator, which caused us to have the terminal problem."

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