With a 54 point lead over his nearest rivals in the championship, Michael Schumacher could take his fifth title at the French GP next weekend. This would make it the quickest championship win in the history of the sport, beating his and Nigel Mansell’s previous record.

It’s also on the cards that he could beat his and the Englishman’s record of the most wins in a season, which currently stands at nine. Without doing all the maths, the chances of the Ferrari man being crowned in France are slim as, even if he wins at Magny Cours, his pursuers would have to fail to score.

However, the German has admitted he would rather win one week later on home turf in Hockenheim. Could we see Schumi impose his own team orders and wave Barrichello through to win in France? On current form, the Brazilian might not need any help.