Length: 5.807 km
Number of Laps: 53 (307.573 Km)
Best Lap: K. Raikkonen - 1'31''540 (2005, Mclaren)
Record Pole: M. Schumacher - 1'31''317 (2004, Ferrari)
2005 Pole: R. Schumacher - 1'46''106 (Toyota)
2005 Podium: K. Raikkonen - G. Fisichella - F. Alonso

That is not to detract from the young Brazilians performance, one of commanding style and dominance from the front, but it has to be said his victory was somewhat overshadowed by events behind. Before that, a word for Massa, who has come on in leaps and bounds this season and fully deserved this win at home today.

Behind Massa a tale of mishaps and heroics unfolded as Michael Schumacher, the man in the spotlight, began his attempt to steal an unlikely title from Fernando Alonso in the final race of his Formula One career.

All looked god as the lights went green with Michael making up a few places from his tenth place starting position, and he continued in that vein for the next few laps as his team mate eased away into an unchallenged lead, with Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli following.

Williams were the first team to make the headlines, however, but not in a way they would have wanted as Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg collided with each other on the first lap. Webber slowed immediately and crawled to the pits to retire, whilst Nico continued a little further only to have a big accident further around the lap, bringing out the safety car and heralding the end of Cosworth in Formula One, at least for now.

Toyota caught the retirement bug, too, with both Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher heading back to the garage within the fist few laps with an apparently identical problem, a great pity as the two were in promising positions. Four cars down, then, with a handful of laps gone.

Massa, meanwhile, stroked away easily at the front as Michael came up to take Giancarlo Fisichella. At the end of the start straight he breezed past, then began to slow immediately. A shredded rear tyre, a legacy of Rosbergs accident, sent the German back to the pits with nine laps gone, his race seemingly in ruins.

To assume such, though, was to forget what has made this brilliant, and often controversial, driver such a legend over the last fifteen years. Instantly he returned to the track, at the back of the field, Michael began to fly, turning in fastest lap after fastest lap, despatching drivers left, right and centre as if they were not there.

This was Michael Schumacher at his very, very best – clinical perfection, astonishing speed, and not a hint of an underhand tactic in sight. In the middle portion of the race he was scintillating, in the last quite amazing. His race culminated in a sensational pass on Kimi Raikkonen for fourth place, the Finn leaving just enough room, but no more, into that daunting first turn, in a move reminiscent of the Germans greatest tussles with Mika Hakkinen. Michael made it stick, and fourth was his.

Consider this, though: following his unscheduled first pit stop Schumacher was over a minute down on the leader; at the end, just twenty four. A fitting, quite brilliant final race for a man who will, whatever your personal opinion, be regarded for ever as one of the greatest drivers ever to race a Formula One car.

In second, almost twenty seconds behind the winner, Fernando Alonso secured the World Championship, his second in succession, with a measured and faultless drive. He deserves it, for his season has been exemplary.

Jenson Button reminded us what a fine driver he is when given the machinery to do the job. Fourteenth on the grid, the Englishman drove a stunning race to third place, beating such as Kimi Raikkonen, fifth, Renaults lacklustre Giancarlo Fisichella, and Honda team mate Rubens Barrichello along the way. Honda’s day will come and, with it, Jenson’s too.

The final point went to Pedro de la Rosa who, thanks to a one stop strategy, ran as high as second at one point, and who faces a winter not knowing whether he will race next year, or be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. The Spaniard drove a very good race today from and unfavourable grid slot, but he needs to do it every race to convince.

Ninth went to Robert Kubica, the only BMW-Sauber to finish. Both the Pole and Nick Heidfeld had troubled races, running well early on but fading later in the race, and the German endured a suspension failure late in the race that sent him off the track. Much will be expected of this vastly improved team next season.

Tenth place went to the surprise of the race – Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri. To say this race was the teams best all season is an understatement, for at one point Takuma was lapping slower only than the two Ferrari’s, an excellent performance from the little team, and something of a resurgence for Sato. Sakon Yamamoto finished 16th in the second Aguri.

A gaggle of Red Bull ‘family’ cars came next, with Scott Speed heading Robert Doornbos and Tonio Liuzzi, David Coulthard having retired early on, with Christijan Albers and Tiago Monterio following in the Spykers.

A fine race then, and one which was, in truth, all about Michael Schumacher. That he went out in style, with a brilliant and engrossing drive, was an entirely fitting end to the great mans career. One must congratulate Alonso, too, for a well deserved World Title, and Renault who pip Ferrari by a mere five points. Kudos, too, to Felipe Massa, a man who has improved beyond all recognition since the beginning of the season, and who turned in a master class of a drive today, reminiscent of his team mate and erstwhile tutor.

Love him or hate him, Michael Schumacher will be missed in Formula One.