The Brazilian explained: “When I made the decision on Friday, it looked like it was going to be one of the hottest ever races in Malaysia, which is why I went for the harder tyre.

“I knew it would be difficult the moment Sunday afternoon saw the track temperature drop much lower than the previous days. It was a gamble that didn’t pay off.”

Barrichello revealed that his tyres lost grip in the first few laps, leaving him struggling to keep up with Schumacher’s pace.

“It was really slippery and the tyres were not working so well at that point,” he told Ferrari’s website (www.ferrari.it).

“It was in those two or three laps that I lost the most time and any chance of winning.”

Barrichello also rejected Juan Pablo Montoya’s accusation that he deliberately slowed the Williams driver down to protect Schumacher.

He said: “I don’t feel Juan Pablo ever really had a chance to overtake me. I could see him behind me, but not in a way that he could have got by.

“I think what might have given him that impression was the time I was stuck trying to lap a Minardi. It cost me around three seconds on one lap and I guess that’s why Juan Pablo got upset.

“I certainly didn’t change my strategy just to hold him up.”