RACE RESULT 1 M Schumacher (Ferrari) 2 F Alonso (Renault) 3 R Barrichello (Ferrari) 4 J Trulli (Renault) 5 J Button (BAR) 6 D Coulthard (McLaren) 7 K Raikkonen (McLaren) 8 JP Montoya (Williams) Race result in full Race report Pictures from Magny-Cours

The Scot dropped from third on the grid to fifth at the start and lost a further place to Rubens Barrichello.

"We had a terrible start - we need to work out what happened - and then I struggled in the middle of the stints.

"We're not here to keep up; we're here to win. If you lose sight of that. you might as well go home," he said.

"But it was an encouraging and reliable race debut for the 19B.

"No question, we have made a step forward - we were 30 seconds down at the end but in a lot of other races this year we have been a lap down - and there are still further developments to come.

"We had two cars in the points in the last race in America but a lot of people dropped out. Today we were good enough for sixth place and that is what we have to use as the building block.

"It is about getting the right track position and being consistent but today we weren't that consistent. I am more confident as we go into the race but clearly there is more work to be done."

Coulthard beat team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who finished behind him in seventh place after qualifying ninth.

The Finn said: "It's always difficult starting from ninth, and I think if I had not messed up in qualifying yesterday we would have done much better.

"I made a good start and gained two places but it was not enough. The speed of the 19B is good, and I'm confident for the rest of the season particularly as we have further developments coming."

Team owner Ron Dennis added: "It might not be apparent from our finishing positions but the MP4-19B is definitely a significant step in the right direction."