Sunday March 3rd, 2002

Australian Mark Webber was a delighted man after scoring his first Formula One points in his Grand Prix debut in his homeland.

Webber, punching the air in jubilation at the end of the race, became the 51st driver to score on his Formula One debut and gave Minardi their first points since 1999 with his fifth place finish on Sunday.

"I feel like I've won the race, it's fantastic for the team," said Webber, who couldn't avoid crying while celebrating his success. "That was a really tough race and I had to push the whole way.

"The thing that got to me the most, though, was in the last couple of laps – every time I came down the pit straight, I could see the crowd in the grandstand rise, but there was no chequered flag, and I wasn't sure if the race was over or not.

"I have to say, I was relieved when I came around and finally saw it being waved. On a personal note, I'm really pleased that we got the car home and that we scored points in what is my home Grand Prix. I'm just really proud of the team and of the fantastic support we've received from the fans here in Australia."

25-year Webber is the first Australian Formula One driver since David Brabham retired in 1994, only the fourth one to score points, and the first one to do it since Alan Jones' sixth place finish at the 1986 Italian Grand Prix.

The last time the small Minardi squad scored more than one point in a season was in 1994.

Published at 09:12:42 GMT