Michael Schumacher's incredible run of form continued in Spain today when he won the Spanish Grand Prix. Behind him, Rubens Barrichello finished second, giving Ferrari the maximum 18 points from this race, further extending their lead at the top of the Constructors' Championship.

The race was not as simple as the result suggests however, with Schumacher having to overcome a problem with his exhaust for the majority of the race and Barrichello choosing a two-stop strategy that converted his fifth place on the grid into second in the race.

"An absolute nail-biter today," said Mike Copson of Shell Global Solutions. "Congratulations to Paolo (Martinelli) and Gilles (Simon) for conceiving such a reliable engine. We hope, as their close technical partner, our efforts contributed to the superb on-going reliability of the cars. We are also delighted that Ross (Brawn) and his team could run both cars on different strategies using the same Shell fuel. We always aim to give Ferrari the most flexible fuel and I think that we proved that today."

Just as in Imola, the Ferrari drivers saved themselves for the pit stops. Schumacher bided his time, sitting behind race leader Trulli for the first few laps, but then, just as two weeks ago, the Ferrari was able to stay out longer than its rival. Trulli pitted on lap nine, leaving the German a free track to record the fastest lap of the race thus far. When Schumacher pitted 4.6 kilometres later, he had made up enough ground to leave the pit lane just ahead of Trulli's Renault.

Meanwhile, Schumacher's team mate was getting the most from the flexibility of his Shell fuel by staying out on track longer than most. Having qualified with a heavier fuel load than his team mate, Barrichello ran a two-stop race and stayed out until lap 16 before coming in for more fuel and tyres - a move that saw him jump all the way to third place ahead of Sato.

Michael pitted again on lap 25 to take advantage of the clear road behind him and exited just ahead of his team mate. Soon after these stops however, it became clear that Schumacher's car had developed a small fault. A problem with the exhaust was soon diagnosed, but the thanks to the strength of the Ferrari F2004 and Michael's driving, Ferrari managed to bring his car home for another victory.

Behind him, Rubens Barrichello was also driving faultlessly. On a two-stop strategy (compared to Schumacher's three), he was recording consistent lap times, to keep Trulli's Renault at bay.

Jarno Trulli was also having a busy afternoon. Having shot from fourth on the grid to lead the race at Turn One, he held his third position for the rest of the race, ahead of his team mate, Alonso.

Speaking after the race, a relived Schumacher said, 'it's a magnificent job the team has been doing in terms of reliability, truly exceptional.'

Rounding off the points scoring positions, Takuma Sato finished fifth and Ralf Schumacher sixth. Fisichella converted another two-stop strategy into a points finish as Jenson Button recovered from a disappointing qualifying session to grab the last point.

Schumacher has now equalled Nigel Mansell's record of winning the first five races of a season. With Monaco next, Schumacher is adamant that the record has no place in his thoughts, with each race win being as important as the last.

Record's aside Ferrari is set to be a force to be reckoned with around the Monegasque streets in two weeks time.