Michael Schumacher makes F1 history as rival retires for 'excruciating' reason

Typhoon Ma-on may have wreaked havoc on the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix weekend, but it provided the perfect stage for Michael Schumacher to add another remarkable footnote to Formula 1 history on October 10 that year.

With 160km/h winds battering Suzuka Circuit on Saturday, all track activity was cancelled as the super storm swept across Japan.

The unusual circumstances forced race officials to reschedule both qualifying sessions to Sunday morning, creating the rare spectacle of pole position being decided just hours before the grand prix itself.

Schumacher, already untouchable in what would prove to be his final championship-winning campaign, seized the opportunity in typical fashion.

Taking to the track among the last drivers on the damp but drying circuit, the Ferrari driver secured pole position by almost half a second over his brother, Ralf Schumacher. He then converted that pole into victory later that same afternoon.

While same-day qualifying and racing combinations have occurred before in Formula 1, it remains unusual, and was thus an opportunity for Schumacher to become the first driver to take pole position and grand prix victory on the same day, yet another accolade in a season in which he had already rewritten the record books with 13 victories from 18 races.

For the final time

The race itself unfolded with predictable dominance from the scarlet cars, though it was Ralf Schumacher in the Williams who provided the closest challenge to his elder brother.

Starting from second on the grid, he maintained his position throughout the afternoon but never seriously threatened the seven-time F1 drivers' champion's commanding lead.

The siblings' one-two finish would prove to be their last together in Formula 1, marking the end of an era for the famous racing family.

Behind the Schumacher brothers, Jenson Button delivered a solid drive to third place for BAR Honda, capitalising on the misfortunes of others and the challenging conditions that had shuffled the grid on Sunday morning.

Contact between Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard resulted in both drivers retiring to the pits after 38 laps. With Schumacher's championship already secured and the season winding down, neither appeared particularly concerned about the collision, chalking it up to a racing incident.

Bizarre retirement steals the spotlight

While Schumacher's commanding victory dominated the headlines, it was Mark Webber's extraordinary retirement that provided the weekend's most memorable talking point.

The Australian had taken advantage brilliantly of the wet qualifying conditions to secure third on the grid for Jaguar, putting him in a prime position to score valuable points.

However, Webber's promising afternoon turned into a nightmare as his cockpit began overheating dramatically. The team's desperate attempt to cool the situation by pouring a bucket of water into his car during the pit stop provided only temporary relief.

As the heat became increasingly unbearable, Webber was forced to make the painful decision to retire on lap 20, sustaining minor burns to his thigh in the process. The Australian later explained his predicament with characteristic honesty.

"We could not find the cause for the heat, and so I carried on in the hope that it would cool down or at least remain static," Webber revealed.

"It didn't, and the heat soon became excruciatingly hot, and I had no option but to retire. You need to be completely focused on the race, and when the temperature is so high that you are being physically affected and thus distracted, then you need to take the decision to stop.

"I am, of course, disappointed that I could not have continued with the race and finished in the points."