By Phil Huff (13/10/2003)
October 13 2003

Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher finally clinched his sixth FIA Formula One World Championship Drivers' title yesterday at the Suzuka circuit. And one of his first stops in the paddock after the race this afternoon was to the Bridgestone tyre fitting area where he was raised aloft on the shoulders of the jubilant crew of tyre fitters and engineers in a frenzy of celebration.

However, it was Schumacher's team mate and pole man Rubens Barrichello who proved himself the man of the day, clinching a magnificent victory at the season finale. Maximum points for the Brazilian secured not only his own fourth place in the drivers' championship standings but also the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team's fifth consecutive Constructor's title. Fourth and sixth places for Bridgestone equipped Lucky Strike BAR Honda's Jenson Button and Takuma Sato secured their fifth place position in the Constructors' Championship whilst Sauber Petronas' Nick Heidfeld finished ninth, making it five Bridgestone runners in the top ten at the final round of the 2003 season. A Bridgestone equipped car and driver has won nine, the majority, of the sixteen rounds this season - a strong finish for Bridgestone in what has been a thrilling season.

Shigeo Watanabe, President and CEO at Bridgestone Corporation, said "I would very much like to congratulate both Michael Schumacher on his sixth World Championship Drivers' title and the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team on clinching the 2003 Constructors' Championship. We are very proud to have contributed to both these titles as a tyre supplier."

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager at Bridgestone Motorsport, added "We are delighted to see Rubens take this victory at the final round of the championship at our home circuit. It was a crucial factor in Michael taking this year's Drivers' Championship title. Michael very much deserved his sixth world championship title. It was a tough race for him today with several incidents but his extraordinary talent shone through. This afternoon was also a great result for several other Bridgestone runners. BAR Honda's Jenson Button and Takuma Sato drove superbly to take fourth and sixth places and I am pleased to see the team now take fifth place in the constructors' championship. Sauber Petronas' Nick Heidfeld also finished in the top ten, taking the tally of Bridgestone equipped cars in the top half of the field to five - a pleasing result. Furthermore, I would like to thank all the Bridgestone personnel behind this effort. There are a lot of people working behind the scenes both in the UK and Japan and each and every one of them played an essential role."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, added "It's been an incredibly tough year with lots of ups and downs. There were times when we wondered whether we could do it and times when we looked very strong. I haven't experienced a season like this and it'll take a while for this to sink in. It shows the strength of the Ferrari-Bridgestone partnership though. Bridgestone never gave up faith in Ferrari and Ferrari never gave up faith in Bridgestone. Today we saw the result of that and next year we'll be even stronger."