Todt: win 'will go down in history'

Ross Brawn, Ferrari's technical director, said that the refuelling drama looked worse than it was, but confessed the team would conduct a full investigation to locate the exact fault that led to the fire.

"It was evident that, although we were up against very strong opposition, we had the best package," said Todt. "I think this race will go down in history. When Rubens came in for his first stop on lap 21, there was a problem with the refuelling rig, so Michael's was used. Then, on the next lap, it was Michael's turn to pit.

"A small amount of fuel was still in the nozzle from the previous refuelling, which dripped onto the car and caught fire. Thanks to the bravery and efficiency of the team, he was able to rejoin the race in third place. Michael went on the attack, got back the lead and brought home a third consecutive win of the season."

Ross Brawn downplayed the potential risk of the fire. "It was a great day for us and an encouraging performance," he said. "It is never pleasant to have a fire, but there was not actually much fuel around and it looked worse than it was. The guys reacted very well to deal with the situation, however, we do not usually have problems with the rigs and now we will have a proper investigation to find out what happened."