Suzuka crowned Schumacher in 2000; six years later, engine failure ended his title bid

Michael Schumacher clinched the 2000 world title at Suzuka. Six years later, on 8 October 2006, he was leading there when engine failure ended his last serious chance at another championship.

Schumacher started the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix from pole, but Mika Häkkinen took the lead at the start. A more effective pit-stop strategy and favourable out-laps during light rain helped Schumacher take it back. Häkkinen finished second, 1.8 seconds behind. The win put Schumacher on 108 points to Häkkinen’s 89, an unassailable advantage, and gave Ferrari its first drivers’ title in 21 years.

In 2006, Schumacher started second behind pole-sitter Felipe Massa, ten points behind Fernando Alonso with the final two races still to come. He was leading at Suzuka when his Ferrari Type 056 V8 failed because of a broken valve in the valve mechanism. Schumacher scored no points; Alonso won and extended his championship lead.

The failure proved the turning point in a title fight Schumacher could not recover from. The 2006 season was his last with Ferrari before his first retirement from Formula 1; the eighth title he was chasing remained out of reach.