After a weekend of high drama at Suzuka, the Japanese Grand Prix finished in a completely predictable way.
World champion Michael Schumacher galloped to his 13th win of the season after comfortably leading from poll. His brother, Ralf, came second, giving Williams BMW their first poll finish in 11 races.
Fears of devastation from Typhoon Ma-on caused qualifying to be postponed on Saturday, but the storm missed the circuit and left Schumacher clear to provide his own whirlwind treatment under blue skies on race day.
His victory gave world champions Ferrari a record-equalling 15th win of the season to leave them needing one more victory — in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix — to break the record they hold jointly with McLaren.
Schumacher led every lap on his way to ending a personal lean spell of three races without a win.
Briton Jenson Button finished third to take his 10th podium of the season for BAR-Honda after using a two-stop strategy to prevent his Japanese teammate, Takuma Sato, from claiming a popular podium finish in front of his home fans.
BAR’s 3-4 finish all but clinched the team’s second place in the constructor’s championship, to be decided in Brazil in two weeks’ time. They stretched their lead over Renault to 18 points.
Renault’s Fernando Alonso came fifth, with Finn Kimi Raikkonen claiming sixth place for McLaren-Mercedes and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya seventh in the second Williams. Italian Sauber driver Giancarlo Fisichella rounded out the points scorers in eighth position.
Schumacher made a clean getaway from pole and sprinted into the first corner to leave Ralf trailing behind as Button got the better of Sato off the line to claim third.
Schumacher’s teammate, Rubens Barrichello, started down in 15th after a poor qualifying session. He made up just one place at the start and failed to make his expected progress through the field.
At the front, Schumacher gently grew his advantage over the Williams behind him in second to 2,7 seconds after lap five with Button and Sato third and fourth and Italian Jarno Trulli fifth in the Toyota.
Ralf Schumacher pitted early, at the end of lap nine, to leave his brother 17,2 seconds ahead of Sato, who had moved back past teammate Button on lap seven and briefly held second before he pitted at the end of lap 12.
Schumacher set two fastest race laps before his stop on lap 13 and managed to get out ahead of Button, who was yet to stop. The Briton eventually pitted on lap 15 to promote Ralf Schumacher back up to second.
Fisichella slid off at Spoon Curve and continued, but Australian Mark Webber — who qualified in an impressive third place — saw delight turn to despair when he was forced to retire his Jaguar from the race with 22 laps completed.
The lead order remained the same after the second raft of pit stops, with Schumacher ahead of his brother by 28,5 seconds and Sato in third, 16,8 seconds further behind.
German Jordan driver Timo Glock had a minor spin and continued at the Degner Curve on lap 38, but Barrichello and Scot David Coulthard, of McLaren, were not so lucky and both retired one lap later after a collision.
Michael Schumacher made his final stop on lap 39 and stayed ahead of second-placed Ralf with Button, on a two-stop strategy, moving up past Sato when the Japanese driver made his third and final stop.
Minardi driver Zsolt Baumgartner became the fourth retirement of the race on lap 45 when he parked up at the side of the track at the start of the S Curves but there were no such problems for Schumacher as he cruised to the finish.