By Andrew Benson Motorsport editor at the Spanish GP

Full result Race report Grand Prix lapwatch Race in pictures

"The problem happened very soon after the first stop," revealed the German.

Schumacher said that Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn had told him over the radio that he was not very hopeful the car would last the entire 66 laps.

"Knowing what an exhaust failure means, I wasn't either," added the six-times world champion. "But we managed to get it home, which is exceptional."

Schumacher added: "I am pretty exhausted because of the trouble we had - you can do nothing, you just have pray it works out.

"I was trying to drive in a way that didn't make the problem worse. You don't know if the car will finish and you are expecting it to stop any time."

What means a lot is I have done 200 races and have 75 wins Michael Schumacher

Schumacher's victory was his fifth in a row, equalling the record start to a season set by Nigel Mansell in 1992.

But Schumacher said he was not thinking about breaking the record.

"I don't drive for those statistics. It makes me proud when they happen, but it is not what makes me go on," the 35-year-old said.

"The next race is Monaco, a very prestigious race that is nice to win anyway. If it happens, it happens, but racing is unpredictable.

"What means a lot is I have done 200 races and have 75 wins. A lot of nice numbers come together, which I am proud of."