Schuey puts 2001 top of the pile

The German has won eight races so far this year, broke a score of records, including taking the outright total of victories to 52, and took his fourth title quicker than any of the previous three.

Speaking in the build up to the season-closing Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher said that this year's achievements had given him enormous satisfaction.

"There is no doubt this was my best year," said Schumacher. "Everything was right there. Apart from two failures at Imola and Hockenheim the reliability was good and it was a great time.

"We had a car that was competitive for all the different types of circuits, with the exception of Hockenheim, and we weren't that dominant either, except in the first two races. After that we had to fight very hard for it and that made me enjoy the season even more.

Schumacher needs to win at Suzuka in order to equal the record for most wins in a season that he already holds with Nigel Mansell. The Ferrari ace believes that his dominant form means the Italian team will be even stronger next year.

"It was satisfying, too, to secure the title so early," said Schumacher, who clinched the drivers' title in Hungary with four races still to run. "I've never done it so quickly, and that means we can look forward to an even stronger Ferrari period in the future."

With eight victories to choose from, Schumacher is spoilt for choice in picking a favourite, but the 32-year-old would not be drawn into choosing one performance above the rest.

"I couldn't mention one. Even if I picked a couple it would be too few," he said. "There were many races where everything worked so well together; the car, the engineering and also me."