Schumacher can win championship in Japan

The German has an eight-point lead and is now one victory away from his third world title.

He can win the championship at the next round in Japan in two weeks time and end Ferrari's 20-year quest for the driver's title.

But Schumacher's second successive victory was not without a late scare when he spun at Turn 8 after putting a wheel on the grass while leading comfortably.

"I wasn't concentrating," he admitted. "I was just cruising because I had such a big advantage.

"The team told me to go slower and slower and I got a wheel on a bit of damp grass and it spun me around.

"Because I was cruising, as people do in a road car, I wasn't ready to catch it.

"People say they wanted me to put on a bit of a show - I hope that was enough for them," he joked.

"These things happen when you are not concentrating. Ross [Brawn] came on the radio and told me to concentrate. I said I'm awake now!"

Schumacher's victory comes in front of a record Formula 1 crowd of around 225,000.

"To see so many people here celebrating to us was the best," said Schumacher.

He was helped when David Coulthard was handed a penalty for a jump start after grabbing the lead off the line.

"I was aware he might get a penalty but he was slowing me down enough to give Hakkinen a go at me so I couldn't afford to wait for him to pit," he added.

"That was his purpose. They are team mates and it is perfectly legal to do this. But he is not in the championship and he tried a little too hard to push me wide as I went past at the first bend and we touched.

"He was doing something to help his team mate and I am not sure whether it should have been done or not.

"But we won it. We overtook the guys [McLaren] and beat them fair and square.

"We are eight points up with two races to go - that's simply great."

Schumacher scored his second victory in succession and his seventh this season to become the second most successful driver of all time with 42 wins - one more than Ayrton Senna but still nine less than record holder Alain Prost.

Schumacher now has an eight-point lead heading into the final two rounds of the world championship in Japan and Malaysia.

If Schumacher wins the race in Suzuka he is champion. The Ferrari driver currently has 88 points, Hakkinen 80, Coulthard 63 and Barrichello 54.