In 1988, McLaren scored 15 wins out of 16 (shared 8-7 between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost respectively), took 15 pole positions (13-2), 10 fastest laps (3-7) and 199 points. In 1992, Williams took 10 wins from 16 (9-1 between Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese), 15 poles (14-1), 10 fastest laps (8-2) and 164 points. This year Ferrari won 15 out of 17 (11-4 between Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello), scored 10 poles (7-3), 12 fastest laps (7-5) and an all-time record 221 points.

What these statistics show is that in terms of raw speed over a single lap, the Ferrari F2002 did not in fact enjoy the massive advantage that the McLaren MP4/4 and the Williams FW14B did. Juan-Pablo Montoya managed to white-knuckle his way to seven poles this year in his Williams. But a championship is about races and race results, and the statistics show that Ferrari were more reliable and relatively faster on Sundays than McLaren were in 1988 and Williams were in 1992.

It was the result of Ferrari doing the best job it could possibly do, and all the other teams not meeting the challenge. Schumacher and Barrichello romped to a comfortable 1-2 in the championship, the great German now up to 5 world titles and 64 career wins having finished every single race this year on the podium. Mind-blowing. It meant that Ferrari have now gone over 50 races consecutively without being unrepresented on the podium, as they stormed to their fourth manufacturers' title in succession.

Respected journalist and former Williams man Peter Windsor argues that in fact the 2002 championship was decided in October 2001, when Ferrari's decision to stick with Bridgestone left McLaren caught between a rock and a hard place. The Woking team's choice of Michelins left Ferrari as the only top team on Bridgestones, guaranteeing that the Japanese rubber would be tailored for the F2002. Impeccable logic. Michelin's conservatism and generally poor job in 2002 only served to turn logic into harsh reality.

In hindsight, there were other warning signs. Williams had been fast but unreliable in 2001. They cured that for 2002, but as is often the case, to obtain reliability teams start playing safe and the Grove team's failure to push the envelope in 2002 was largely their undoing. Also in 2001, Mercedes could hide the effect that the ban on beryllium in engines had had, but when it came to designing a new beryllium-less motor for 2002, they were caught out and the title challenge was over for McLaren before it began.

In addition, reliability was generally very good. All the teams had found the same optimal pit strategies for each race, and would only rarely depart from that. With at least four cars from the top three teams finishing most races in the points, everyone else was fighting for scraps. Sadly, it all made for tedious viewing. Furthermore, in a sport where the attention is more often on drivers rather than teams, Ferrari's lame use of 'teamwork' to justify how they arrogantly rigged results turned audiences off in droves.

So by season's end, Formula One was one big unhappy family. The drop in TV viewers and race attendances was getting worrying, and even if Ferrari decide to race for real that would only bring back the disenchanted, and not the fringe fans wanting to watch some entertainment. Perhaps F1's saving grace was that 2002 was a year of dominance in other branches of motorsport too, from Cristiano da Matta in CART to Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, from Peugeot in rallying to Mark Skaife in Australian V8 Supercars.

Add to that the world's uncertain economic climate and F1 was facing real sponsorship and cost concerns. Throughout 2002 there was much discussion, culminating in the FIA's nine-point plan, about how to reduce costs and improve the show all in one hit. But with a three-way political tug-of-war between the team owners, the manufacturers who were investing more than ever in F1, and supremos Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, no answer, not even some of the radical changes for 2003, was going to satisfy everyone.

But despite the doom and gloom, there were some positives to take out of 2002 and into 2003. Ferrari's achievements deserved to be marvelled at and applauded, even if not unqualifiedly condoned, but a number of outfits, especially Williams, McLaren, Renault, Jordan, Jaguar and Toyota, have the potential to make life tougher for Ferrari next season. A new points system, shoot-out qualifying and a ban on team orders (however that is to be enforced) will undoubtedly make things more interesting.

Though most of the 2002 rookies were disappointing in one way or another, there is still excitement over the 'next generation' who will take over after Schumi inevitably wins his sixth (or even seventh) title. If Juan Pablo Montoya can convert qualifying pace to race pace, if Kimi Raikkonen continues his upward spiral, if Mark Webber can take advantage of his Jaguar drive, and if Fernando Alonso is really that good, then there is still a lot to look forward to on the driving front for next year.

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