It may have cost more money than the Millennium Dome, but Michael Schumacher could on Sunday finally realise Ferrari's £1bn dream.

The Dome's future may be in question but Schumacher is on the threshold of ensuring himself a permanent place in the history books if he can finally end his team's 21-year quest to win the drivers' crown.

Schumacher takes an eight-point lead in the championship into the penultimate race in Japan tomorrow knowing victory would guarantee him the title.

No one, not even Ferrari's accountants, are probably able to put a figure on how much money they have spent since Jody Scheckter clinched their last World Championship in the fitting setting of Monza on September 9, 1979.

The Italian team's budget for this year alone is reported to be about the £120m mark with Schumacher's own salary taking up a £25m slice out of that figure.

Schumacher's earnings since he first joined Ferrari in 1996 with the avowed intention of restoring them to their former glories now tops £100m.

Ferrari will consider it money well spent if the marque of the prancing horse can gallop back to their Maranello base with the drivers' trophy finally again in their clutches.

Since South African Scheckter took the title by just four points from teammate Gilles Villeneuve, a roll-call of Formula One greats have all tried and failed to emulate him.

Alain Prost won four world titles but missed out in his two years with Ferrari, as did the likes of Nigel Mansell, Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger.

Schumacher, who joined after his successive title wins with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, has come close before following a formative first season with the team.

The 31-year-old took a one-point lead over the Williams of Jacques Villeneuve into their title decider at the season-ending European Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain, in 1997.

But when the Canadian attempted an overtaking move, Schumacher - as he did more successfully to Damon Hill in Adelaide three years previously - tried to force his rival off the track.

It was Schumacher who ended up in the gravel and he missed out by four points before being forced to publicly apologise for his move by FIA, the sport's world governing body.

Twelve months later Schumacher went into the final race in Suzuka needing a victory to clinch the title from Mika Hakkinen, but stalled on the grid and the Finn romped home.

Schumacher was odds-on favourite to triumph last season but his horrific crash at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone left his hopes in shreds.

This year, though, the Swiss-based racer can finally reclaim the title for the most famous marque in Formula One having opened the season with three successive victories.

Schumacher has had to fight back after relinquishing an early lead of 24 points over Hakkinen, but victories in the last two races in Monza and Indianapolis have put him firmly in command.

The former champion looks determined to avoid another nail-biting decider by triumphing in Suzuka and turning the last race in Malaysia a fortnight later into a personal victory parade.

Not even an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale which hit an area of Japan around 100 miles west of Suzuka could halt his progress yesterday as he dominated opening practice.

Buildings and grandstands at the Suzuka circuit, around 270 miles south west of Tokyo, were left swaying by the tremors which lasted for several seconds.

The giant ferris wheel and rollercoaster at the track - which is based at an amusement park - kept on moving though and it was his rivals who were left feeling queasy.

''I did not feel the earthquake,'' said Schumacher after outpacing Hakkinen's McLaren-Mercedes by 0.6 secs. ''It is difficult when you've got so much horsepower.