Schumacher takes dramatic pole
If today's qualifying session is anything to go by, the Japanese Grand Prix will be Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen's most titanic battle yet

Schumacher secured pole after a thrilling session at Suzuka, but his advantage over Hakkinen was just 0.009s.
The pair swapped the advantage between them with every run. Schumacher struck first, deposing early polesitter David Coulthard and shading Hakkinen's effort by 0.074s.
Hakkinen's second run put him 0.077s ahead of his rival, only for the points leader to respond with a lap a further 0.1s faster. Hakkinen dug deep and squeezed another tenth out of his McLaren to then go 0.074s faster than Schumacher.
With only three minutes remaining, Schumacher's final run was just enough to seal what could be a crucial pole position. The German was 0.009s quicker than his Finnish adversary and this time Hakkinen was unable to fight back, his final lap not good enough to pip Schumacher. The latter only needs to finish second to Hakkinen in the final two races to clinch his third world title, but after qualifying he said he was looking to settle the issue with victory tomorrow.
"You always want the best opportunity to win the race and pole position is the best position to start from," he said. "Our target is to win the race and take the championship here. This is the first step towards that, but it's not finished yet."
Hakkinen needs to win in Suzuka to stand a realistic chance of beating Schumacher to the crown and was frustrated to have missed out on pole by such a small margin.
"Basically I'm disappointed," he admitted. "My last run was pretty good but in the last chicane I wasn't able to accelerate as early as I wanted to."
Coulthard edged closer to the top two throughout the session and will start from the inside of row two, a spot he reckons is "the best seat in the house to watch the title battle."
He is alongside Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, who was only 0.5s off pole despite arriving at Spoon curve backwards on his second run.
Jenson Button maintained his practice form to take fifth, joined on the third row by his Williams-BMW team-mate Ralf Schumacher.
It was also a good day for Jaguar, as the team got both its cars into the top ten for the first time: Eddie Irvine will start seventh, Johnny Herbert tenth.
Jordan had a mediocre session, Heinz-Harald Frentzen salvaging eighth but Jarno Trulli having to be content with 15th. There was also mild disappointment for BAR-Honda, Jacques Villeneuve only ninth quickest on the engine manufacturer's home ground.
However, tomorrow all this will become a mere sideshow as the Schumacher-Hakkinen battle takes star billing. The Ferrari driver may have ended qualifying on top, but he had to fight for every tenth of a second. Now the pressure is on Hakkinen, with the Finn knowing that if they finish in the order that they qualified, Schumacher will be crowned champion. With Coulthard and Barrichello well placed to help their team-mates, two Williams-BMWs ready to pounce on any slips by the fancied frontrunners and rain a possibility for tomorrow's race, the Japanese Grand Prix should be one of the most memorable races yet in this already incredible season.
Click here for full qualifying results.

Hakkinen sets pace in final practice
Button 'ecstatic' about fifth place

Latest news
Why Piastri's attempt to join McLaren carries implications of risk
After the 2006 Formula 1 British GP, Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony was a frustrated man, despite his son - at the time a star in GP2 - having just scored a memorable double win in that weekend's feature and sprint events.
Alpine: Ocon has what it takes to lead the F1 team in 2023
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that Esteban Ocon has what it takes to lead the team following Fernando Alonso’s departure at the end of this season.
McLaren explains gaps between F1 qualifying and race pace
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl has explained that being able to mask the car's lack of downforce in qualifying is behind the large discrepancy to its race pace.
Perez: DNFs have been "killing" my F1 season so far
Sergio Perez still believes “everything is open” in the Formula 1 title battles after the summer break despite some DNFs “killing” his season so far.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last