2002 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2002 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2002 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on 13 October 2002. It was the seventeenth and final race of the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship. It is also the last race held on this layout.
| 2002 Japanese Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 17 of 17 in the 2002 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 13 October 2002 | ||||
| Official name | 2002 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix | ||||
| Location |
Suzuka Circuit Suzuka, Mie, Japan | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.821 km (3.617 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 53 laps, 308.317 km (191.579 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny, Air: 26 °C (79 °F), Track 30 °C (86 °F) | ||||
| Attendance | 326,000 | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:31.317 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:36.125 on lap 15 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
The 53-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher, driving a Ferrari. Schumacher took pole position, led the whole race except during the pit stops, and set the fastest race lap. It was his eleventh win of the season and the fifteenth for the Ferrari team, thus equalling the record set by McLaren in 1988. Teammate Rubens Barrichello finished second, with Kimi Räikkönen third in a McLaren-Mercedes.
This was the last race for 1999 runner-up Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo, who had been in F1 since 1993 and 1994 respectively. It was also the last race for Alex Yoong and Allan McNish, though the latter could not participate in the race itself due to injuries suffered in a heavy crash during qualifying.
This was the last race to use the 10-6-4-3-2-1 points system first introduced in 1991, and also the last race to use the race weekend format first introduced in 1996, with 3 practice sessions (two on Friday, one on Saturday morning), a one-hour qualifying session and a Sunday morning warm-up. The race would also mark Ferrari's last one-two finish for a year until the 2004 Australian Grand Prix.