The Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher get off to the ideal start by surging into the lead in formation

Massa lets Schumacher by on lap three as Ferrari's tactics go to plan, with Fernando Alonso held up by Ralf Schumacher

Alonso passes Ralf Schumacher before his first stop and rejoins ahead of Massa, who pitted early with a puncture

Christijan Albers crashes out, but the safety car is not deployed and Schumacher's five-second lead is protected

But it all goes wrong for Schumacher as he suffers his first engine failure in a race for more than six years

The German waves to fans as he trudges back to the pits, many of them then leave before the end of the race

Schumacher's woe is good news for Alonso, who secures victory in a race that saw the title fight turn on its head

The Spaniard indulges in a victory dance after stopping his Renault in parc ferme, as months of frustration wash away

Giancarlo Fisichella comes home third behind Massa, who denies Renault a one-two finish at Suzuka

Jenson Button safeguards the honour of Honda at their home track and race by beating the Toyotas to finish fourth

Both Toyotas start the race ahead of Button, but slip back to sixth and seventh, with Jarno Trulli ahead of Ralf Schumacher

Kimi Raikkonen recovers from the disappointment of qualifying 11th with a strong drive on a one-stop strategy to finish fifth

But Schumacher's anguish is plain to see as he realises his dreams of winning an eighth world title are all but over

He says that "the drivers' title for me is finished", but that he hopes to help Ferrari win back the constructors' crown

Alonso jumps with joy on the podium after a potentially decisive victory which he describes as a "beautiful surprise"