Michael Schumacher earns 6th title

[Novice#41]

congrats Schumi !




SUZUKA, Japan, Oct. 12 — Michael Schumacher won a record sixth
Formula One title Sunday, finishing eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix
and holding off Kimi Raikkonen for the championship



Schumacher Clinches Record Sixth Title
Sunday 12 October 2003

Rubens Barrichello came home to clinch victory in today's season concluding Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, handing to Michael Schumacher his record breaking sixth drivers championship title, the German finishing the race in the eighth place he needed to be certain of capturing the title.

Schumacher had started the race from 14th on the grid, the second worst starting position on the grid of his whole Grand Prix career. The German took it easy in the opening laps, moving up a couple of positions and then carefully picking his way past his fellow competitors, whilst up front Montoya took the lead from Rubens Barrichello during the opening lap.

Several laps into the race however and Michael was stuck behind the BAR of Takuma Sato in tenth. The German attempted a manover into the chicane towards the end of the lap, however Sato closed the door, breaking Michael Schumacher's front wing and forcing the German into the pits for an early stop to have the damage repaired. He was fortunate he was near the pitlane entrance at the time of the incident and didn't loose much more time.

After a promising start to the race, Montoya's season came to a very disappointing end as he slowed with hydraulic failure. He managed to limp back to the pits but there was nothing his mechanics could do to get him back into the race. This ment Barrichello moved back into the lead of the race, followed closely by Hungarian Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso in the Renault. The McLaren's of David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen were also making good progress through the points scoring positions.

Meanwhile Michael Schumacher had once again worked his way back up the order, and by the time of the second round of pitstops had found himself once again just outside the points, following his brother Ralf Schumacher and Sato who was eighth. Back at the front, Alonso had now retired with an engine failure, handing the remaining podium positions behind Barrichello to the McLaren's of Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard.

Michael Schumacher made his final stop of the afternoon on lap 37 after making his first scheduled stop some 20 laps earlier. This time he merges from the pitlane ahead of his brother but again just outside the points, needing to overtake the Toyota of Cristiano da Matta. Meanwhile at the front, the final round of pitstops sees Kimi Raikkonen move ahead of Coulthard, wtih Barrichello still holding a decent sized lead.

Lap 42 and da Matta appears to break very early into the chicane at the end of the lap, sending Michael Schumacher to make an avoidance move with his brother closing rapidly behind. Ralf spins and claughts his front wing on his brother's left rear wheel, forcing him to also pit for a replacement nose. A short while later, Michael completes a move on da Matta to claim the eighth place he needs to ensure he captures a fourth successive title, no matter what happens up at the front.

As it happened, Raikkonen seemed to be having some minor difficulties running a heavier fuel load which his McLaren team had put him on in a bid to jump out ahead of Barrichello, which failed. With several laps remaining, Barrichello was holding a strong 15 second lead over the McLaren's on the other podium postiions and looking strong for his second victory of the season.

As much as Raikkonen must have prayed, the Ferrari's renowned reliability held ferm allowing Barrichello to take the flag and end any hopes Raikkonen had of taking the championship, the Finn crossing the line 11 seconds after Barrichello. Meanwhile Jenson Button crossed the line fourth just ahead of Jarno Trulli to score vital points for BAR in the constructors championship to establish themselves fifth in the constructors championship, behind the main four of Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Renault.

Takuma Sato, who stepped in at the last minute for Jacques Villeneuve this weekend after the team announced earlier in the week that it would not be extending his contract for next season, came home sixth in his first Grand Prix for his new team, for whom he will be racing full time next season. Seventh it was Toyota's Cristiano da Matta, whilst the new record breaking world champion came home eighth, just as he needed to.

The Japanese Grand Prix provided a fitting conclusion to the 2003 Grand Prix season, packed with action and drama with tension right to the bitter end. The new rules certainly spiced things up comapired to the past couple of seasons, but ultimately Michael Schumacher still rose above the rest to claim a position in history that had been held by Argentina's Fangio right back in 1957.

Few can doubt that Michael Schumacher is one of the best drivers of his generation, and this together with his impressie list of other records must surely cemente his name in the history books for many years to come. As this season draws to a close, the question on everyone's mind has to be will he make it a fifth title in a row in 2004?

[DNNF]

If i remember correctly, he 's the richest athlete.