"It's a great feeling to finish on the the podium, especially since halfway through the race I started to have problems with my gearbox and I was forced to shift manually until the end.

"Frankly, I thought I wasn't going to finish and instead I got this great result! I am sorry for Jarno (Trulli) because he could have had a podium finish as well, but we both scored points and that's very good.

"A big thank you to everyone in the team to whom I dedicate this first podium."

Jarno Trulli said: "Honestly I think we missed a good opportunity today. Everything was going smoothly but then Michael pushed me out. He eventually apologised but at that point, my race had been spoiled.

"I incurred in other problems, such as a long pitstop and I had to fight till the end to keep my position.

Certainly my fifth place brings some more points to myself and the team, however, I am disappointed because I feel I could have done better."