Speed hot-foot in search of pace.

Scott Speed's months of intensive off-season training paid off as he pulled off a gritty drive to 14th place in the sweltering heat of the Malaysian Grand Prix, but the American was still at pains to point out that his Toro Rosso mount needs more development.

The STR02 was more competitive than it had been in the Australian Grand Prix, where Speed retired with a blown tyre, and the second year racer avoided trouble on the opening lap to climb to an initial 14th place. Although pit-stops and quicker cars recovering from poor grid positions dropped him a few positions as the race progressed, the American was able to run in train of cars comprising Rubens Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Jenson Button, Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson before returning to 14th at the chequered flag.

However, despite the apparent improvement, Speed reckoned that there was more potential waiting to be unlocked.

"At first sight, my prognosis here is the same as in the Australian Grand Prix, meaning that we are still quite a bit off the pace," he reflected, "I'm glad we got that opportunity to test because, earlier in the weekend, I never got much proper running. On Friday morning, I had to run the spare car and, because it had never been used before, that meant the usual stuff with a new car, like sorting out the pedals and the driving position. Then I had to sort out my race car, so I only really ran properly at the end of the second session."

Although Speed just missed the cut at the end of the first of the three knock-out qualifying sessions and lined up 17th on the grid, he acknowledged that pre-race preparations had improved the STR02.

"We have definitely made a step forward with the car this weekend, which is good," he said, "But I did not manage to get everything out of it on my last [qualifying] run, as I made a mistake in the final corner. Without that, maybe I could have also got through to the second session. However, our pace is better, even though we have a long way to go."

In the race, the car was set up more for cornering speed than maximum speed down the straights, which made it hard for the American to make up places..

"Our car was missing some straight-line speed, and it was very difficult for us to fight," he said, "I was not going to pass anyone and was just trying my best not to get passed. But our overall pace was decent because we had a bit more grip in the high-speed corners."

With the Malaysian race taking place in high humidity and temperatures nearing 100 degrees, Speed's pre-season training paid dividends as he proved able to cope with the conditions, which were made more intense by the need to wear fireproof underwear and three-layer coveralls in a cockpit where air circulation is minimal. However, the American had other concerns as the footbox of the Toro Rosso got extremely hot.

"I had quite a problem with my brake foot in the temperatures," he revealed, "I have a big blister on my foot and, in the middle of the second stint, I already felt it big time. It was the most painful race I have ever done in my life."