This October will mark not only the 31st anniversary of Michael Schumacher's first Formula 1 world drivers' championship, but also the 25th anniversary of the year he secured his first title with Ferrari. This was one he claimed with a hard-fought victory at the penultimate round of the season - the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka - to ensure Mika Hakkinen was denied a chance of claiming a third consecutive title.
Schumacher's successful bid for the title took a gargantuan millstone away from the shoulders of the Ferrari personnel. It had been 21 years since the Prancing Horse had last been graced by the winner of the drivers' crown, with Jody Scheckter's 1979 triumph preceding a lean period across the next two decades. There had been constructors' titles, sure, but this scarcely holds the same prestige as a drivers' championship win.
