Schumacher: Senna was my hero...

The German, whose ice-cool demeanour cracked in the post-race interview when he equalled Senna's record at Monza, said it was special to be regarded in the same class as his childhood hero.

"He was my idol," said Schumacher on the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year programme. "I was 10-years-old, I saw him racing go karts and I thought, 'who's that guy being so fast?' Driving in the way he did and overtaking in the way he did, I felt, when I was 10, that he was something special. There's probably only one statistic that counts after the championship, and that's how many victories you have. Competing on the level of a person like Senna, that means a lot to me."

Schumacher's third world championship also equals Senna's tally of titles, but he believes winning it for Ferrari is another reason to be proud: "The words to explain what is Ferrari is as difficult as to say what my emotions were when I won finally. As a racing driver there are certain dreams of what you can achieve - here, my dream has come true."

Although his brother Ralf has been critical of young drivers like Kimi Raikkonen coming straight into F1 from the lower categories, Michael has no problem with the arrival of the likes of Jenson Button on the Grand Prix grid, despite his lack of experience.

"People were very critical when they heard Mr Button is arriving in F1 without experience of Formula 3000," he said. "I am always of the opinion that if somebody is able to get in the car and immediately is fast, and doesn't crash basically, then he has the right to be in Formula 1. I think he has the ability and talent to do it, given time, and then we'll see."

Schumacher also talked about David Coulthard's near-death experience in a plane crash in May. He thinks the Scot became mentally stronger after the tragic accident, which claimed the lives of both pilots, and admitted DC was a thorn in his side at times.

"Certain things in life may give you a boost," added Schumacher, who himself came back strongly after breaking his leg in a big crash at Silverstone in 1999. "After this, knowing he survived, maybe it gave him even more confidence. He gave me a tough run at quite a lot of races."