Michael Schumacher celebrated an historic sixth World Championship after surviving a double scare at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on Sunday morning.

The German finished eighth but was certain of taking the drivers' title after Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello deservedly triumphed to deny second-placed Kimi Raikkonen the victory he needed.

Schumacher's success by two points enabled him to break the record of five titles he shared with Juan Manuel Fangio and he also became the first man since the Argentine in 1957 to win the championship four years in succession.

But the 34-year-old had an anxious 53-lap race after being relegated to last early on following a collision with BAR's Japanese driver Takuma Sato in his first grand prix for 12 months.

Schumacher, who went into the race nine points ahead of Raikkonen, later had a collision with the Williams of his brother Ralf after a fierce scrap for track position.

The 34-year-old would have been guaranteed the title anyway thanks to Barrichello's seventh career victory by 11 seconds from Raikkonen, whose McLaren team-mate David Coulthard finished third.

It was a double celebration for Ferrari as they clinched the Constructors' Championship for the fifth year in succession.

Jenson Button finished his first season in style with an excellent fourth place for BAR with Renault's Jarno Trulli fifth and Sato sixth while Toyota's Cristiano da Matta was seventh.

Brit Justin Wilson and Ralph Firman brought their rookie seasons to a close with 13th and 14th places respectively for Jaguar Racing and Jordan.

The duo must now wait to see if they will be retained by their teams for 2004.

Schumacher deserved the title having won six races compared to Raikkonen's solitary success in the second grand prix of the 16-race season in Malaysia in March.

Raikkonen, 24 next week, had kept in contention with a string of podium positions but on the day could not get the victory that would have given him the chance of becoming the youngest world champion in history.

Schumacher showed his race craft and aggressiveness on the track as he carved his way through the field following the sixth-lap incident with Sato when he damaged his nose cone as the local driver defended his position as the champ tried to overtake.

The Swiss-based racer, who won his first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, is clearly the most successful driver in the 54-year history of the championship and has set records which could endure for several generations.

Schumacher had vowed to win the title in style but after qualifying 14th, his worst starting slot for over eight years, and the early incidents, he had to settle for the solitary point.

Button's fine drive, the fifth time he has finished fourth, helped BAR snatch fifth place in the Manufacturers' Championship with Sato - called up after Jacques Villeneuve walked away from the team one race early - scoring points on his return to racing. He was fifth on his last outing in Japan with Jordan 12 months ago.

The cheers from the sell-out 160,000 crowd were greater for their hero, who will partner Button in 2004, than those for Schumacher.

Schumacher, who finished with 93 points, said: "It has been a tough year and tough late stage of the season and it has been one of my toughest races.

"But again today the team have done an incredible job giving us both a competitive car. Rubens drove a fantastic race and we won the Constructors' big style.

"I was a bit messy today after having a little incident. But to come back with the traffic and fight though and with Ralf hitting me in the back it was a very strange race.

"The feelings are not there now. I can feel for the team but not for me, they have not sunk in yet. I am empty, exhausted.

"I had to go flat out when I lost my nose and knew that Juan Pablo Montoya was out so didn't know what the outcome could be. I had to make sure I was eighth so I had to fight as you never know when a car will finish, this is F1, things happen.

"The fight with Ralf and Cristiano da Matta was tough. I was having big vibrations in the car down the straight, there are a lot of thoughts going through your head and you just try and carry your car as safe and easy as possible to the chequered flag.

"It is very strange for me. Most of my championships I have won with a victory but here I am winning it with eighth place so it is a mixed emotion but what the team has achieved is fantastic.

"People wrote Ferrari off but we are still here, we are back. We are a huge family and we are all so proud to be a part of it."

Barrichello said: "It was a difficult race because the weather helped the competition. It was not damp but there was some water and my car was very twisty and I almost lost it on the first lap.

"I love the wet but I was praying it would not rain. I was pushing right to the end.

"But I am so proud at winning the Constructors again and to clinch this victory at Suzuka, which is definitely a drivers' circuit, makes me a proud man."

Raikkonen, who started eighth, said: "I think we were a bit unlucky with qualifying yesterday and that didn't help us.

"But I got second place again. We were just not quick enough this year."