Schuey: it was a special win

"Ferrari's 150th win is very special and I take this opportunity to thank our test team," said the championship leader. "They are always in the background and I am very happy to have these guys behind me. All of them, Luca Badoer, Luciano Burti and all the engineers and mechanics do a fantastic job."

On a heavy one-stop full load, Schumacher dropped to third at the first corner of the opening lap and gradually fell back as Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya battled it out for the lead. However, Schumacher closed up all of their advantage when the Safety Car was deployed on lap 15.

"The Safety Car worked in my favour, even if I don't understand why they had to use it," he admitted. "I kept a good pace as we knew Montoya was on a two stop, but I could not ease up until I knew I would be in front of him after his second stop. The engine was very strong and gave us good straight line speed. In the final laps I slowed down to save the car and brakes."

Schumacher's win means he now leads the world championship by 43 points over Montoya and Williams team-mate Ralf Schumacher.