De la Rosa rues late error

After starting last following a pre-race engine change, the Spaniard was lying 10th in his Sauber after choosing to fit wet tyres rather than intermediates when the rain hit with nine laps to go.

However, this proved to be the wrong decision as the track was not wet enough for them all the way round and caused the Spaniard to overheat the rubber.

He understeered off at Stavelot, driving through the gravel before rejoining the track in 12th place, which was where he finished.

"After I had to start at the back I should not complain about finishing 12th, but two laps before the end I was 10th and just in the points," said de la Rosa.

"I was on full wet tyres, the rain was not heavy enough and there was not enough water on the track to stop destroying them. They went off quite quickly and when I tried to catch Vitaly Petrov I made a mistake. I went into the gravel and lost two places.

"Nevertheless for me it was the right move to go for full wet tyres. We had to take our chances today. It was more or less the same at my first pit stop when we fitted intermediates, but then had to change back to slicks. But, as I said, we had to take our chances."

De la Rosa's Japanese team-mate Kamui Kobayashi finished eighth after an entertaining scrap late on with the Mercedes cars of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.