Montagny encouraged by Monaco performance.

Franck Montagny was given a boost by getting his Super Aguri to the end of the Monaco GP, after retirements in his first two races for the team. At the Monaco weekend the Frenchman was also confirmed for the next three races, ensuring that he will race until at least the US GP on July 2.

Montagny jumped into the ex-Arrows car with no prior testing at the European GP after Yuji Ide was encouraged by the FIA to go away and get more experience. The former Renault tester finished the Monaco race in 16th place after an eventful afternoon that included a bump from Tiago Monteiro at the high-speed exit of Casino Square.

"I'm quite happy to finish the race," said the Frenchman. "It's my first finish, and it's good. Unfortunately we had a lot of little problems with the car, and the set-up was very, very understeering. I had a big problem with the very, very low power steering, which gave me a lot of kick back on my hands. At the end of the race I could not hold the steering wheel any more! It's a little bit of a pity, but I've been complaining about the power of the steering wheel.

"I think everything will come step-by-step. I did 75 laps, so we have a lot of information, and now we can work on that."

Montagny says he has no concerns about going to Montreal and Indianapolis, two circuits he does not know.

"It's cool, I'm quite happy about that, because it's more work with the team, so we can improve what we are doing. It's OK, because I didn't know Monaco so well either, and it was not too bad in qualifying."

Meanwhile Montagny's team mate Takuma Sato failed to finish after for once not getting ahead of quicker cars at the start. He chose not to make life difficult for the Ferrari drivers that started behind him.

"I'm very disappointed not to finish, but it was a good race, really," he said. "The car was consistent, and I was able to push, so it was a little bit of a shame. Off the line it was not brilliant. The timing was OK, my reaction was OK, but the car didn't pull well, perhaps because we were very heavy.

"Plus the two Midlands tangled in front of me, and I had to avoid the accident. After a few laps it settled, and I just kept on a consistent run. Michael passed me on the first lap. He was coming very fast, and there was no point to fight him on that one, so I just didn't move!

"It was good for Franck that he finished, and it was good for the team as well. To have you very first finish in Monaco is very special, and I really wanted to finish myself for the boys, because they did a really good job for the whole weekend."