Michael Schumacher clinched his record sixth F1 drivers' title here, while Ferrari secured their fifth consecutive constructors' championship.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari)
- Schumacher's championship
- Record-breaking 6th World Drivers' title
- Ferrari constructors' titles
- 13th title, 5th consecutive
- Championship round
- 16th and final round of 2003 season
- Electronic aids banned after
- Last race with launch control & auto gearboxes
- Schumacher's finish
- 8th place, sufficient to clinch title
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 2003 Formula One season reached its final round at Suzuka with the drivers' and constructors' championships still mathematically undecided. Michael Schumacher needed only a modest points finish to surpass Juan Manuel Fangio's long-standing record of five world titles, while Ferrari sought to confirm their dominant run in the constructors' standings.
Held on 12 October 2003 at the Suzuka Circuit, the race was won from pole by Rubens Barrichello, with Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard completing the podium for McLaren. Schumacher finished eighth, accumulating just enough points to secure his sixth drivers' championship, also matching Fangio's record of four consecutive titles.
Schumacher's sixth title broke Fangio's 46-year-old record, and Ferrari claimed their thirteenth constructors' championship and fifth in a row. The FIA subsequently banned launch control and fully-automatic gearboxes for 2004. The race also marked the final grands prix for Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jos Verstappen, and remains as of 2025 the last time Suzuka hosted the season finale.
Result
at Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan