Schumacher takes crown for Ferrari!

Schumacher's win at Suzuka puts the German 12 points clear of championship rival Mika Hakkinen, with only one race of the season remaining in Malaysia in two weeks' time. That hands the Ferrari ace his third world drivers' title and the first for Ferrari since Jody Scheckter won the championship in 1979.

Victory in Japan takes Schumacher's total wins for this season to eight, compared to Hakkinen's four. The Finn came home second, with McLaren-Mercedes team mate David Coulthard in third and Rubens Barrichello fourth in the second Ferrari.

The race looked to be going Hakkinen's way as the 32-year-old pushed past Schumacher to take the lead into the first corner at the start. Hakkinen then maintained a marginal lead over Schumacher for two thirds of the race, but was defenceless against a combination of slick Ferrari pit work and a slippery track on new tyres.

Schumacher stayed out two laps longer than Hakkinen and emerged from his second stop in the lead, where he stayed until the chequered flag.

For a full race report, click here.

For full race results, click here.

For a lap-by-lap account of all the action, click here.