“Today the pace of the car was much better than in yesterday's third qualifying session. I was happy with its balance. I made a very good start and managed to gain two positions. I was then racing Kimi Räikkonen, but he pitted later and overtook me at the pit-stop. I was then a little bit slower than the three guys in front of me, but quicker than the rest of the pack. This was the maximum possible for me today.”

Nick Heidfeld:

“This is what I hoped for from ninth on the grid. To finish fifth was the best I could achieve today. I wanted to overtake Jarno Trulli at the start and this worked, then I gained two more positions during the pit-stops. After the first stint I had a pretty lonely race and in the end I was even able to reduce the engine revs.”

Fernando Alonso:

“We were on the pace this weekend and scored some valuable points today, which confirms the progress we have made recently that is thanks to the hard work of everyone in the team. I made a good start, which was essential for a strong race and after that everything went smoothly.

“We had a good strategy, the car was well-balanced and there were no problems with the tyres, so I am happy. Now we must continue working hard to catch up with the leading teams, but we are in good shape.”

Mark Webber:

“I'm happy to get two points. It wasn't the most exciting race; I was just trying to hold on to Fernando [Alonso], which wasn't easy as he was a bit too strong for us today. It would have been nice to be able to fight him a little bit more. I was cruising a little in the last stint, as [Nico] Rosberg wasn't a threat.

“Getting more points is good for the team – especially after the way they turned my car around after my shunt on Friday – but we're not satisfied with getting just points now. We want to get more, but I have the same number of points that I had in total last year, so we're doing okay.”

Nico Rosberg:

“I am happy with my result. I had a fantastic first lap, although I very nearly lost it all when Heidfeld went wide while I was alongside him. He didn't know I was there, so I had to go off the track. When I came back on, I was all over the place but I then passed Coulthard and Trulli on the outside of turn three.

“I gave it my all on every lap and it was a fantastic race for me today. Anymore, though, is just not possible at the moment, but I am looking forward to the next two races which traditionally suit our car.”

David Coulthard:

“I just missed out on points today – which is frustrating – but I've looked around my car and there's no damage, so at least we finished a race without colliding with anyone! I raced as hard as I could. I dropped half a second just before my second pit-stop and came out just behind Nico [Rosberg], which was probably the deciding factor.

“I think the strategy guys did a good job today; I just wasn't able to eke the last little bit of pace out of the car. I had a little bit of understeer and difficult drivability getting the throttle open, which cost a tenth of a second per lap.”

Jarno Trulli: