Schuey: 'It was such an eventful race'

Speaking after the race, an emotional Schumacher recalled his rollercoaster race which brought him victory when McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen slid wide on oil with just five laps to go, handing him the victory he needed to be crowned for the fifth time. All this after being given a drive-thru penalty for running over the white line at the pit exit after his first stop.

"I didn't think much about the world championship all weekend," said Schumacher. "Then Rubens had his problem at the start, and I saw our pace against Montoya, so I slowly started to believe in it. Then I made the mistake with the white line exiting the pits, which must have been millimetres rather than centimetres, and all was gone again. It was such an eventful race that I thought it [the championship] wasn't supposed to happen.

"I put some pressure on Kimi in the last 10 laps, but I don't think it was that which caused his problem. If you don't see the oil, you don't see it. I was warned by his problem and suddenly the race was back in my pocket.

"I was back in the lead and I have to say it was the worst feeling of my career. I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders which was enormous. It was only then that I realised just how much pressure I had been under.

"I have to say I have a tremendous team, and I admire their workload and motivation. I really love all those guys; to name individuals would be wrong. It's just fantastic to achieve what we've done."