Motorsport Formula OneShort memories abound in Formula One. So, with the drivers' title settled, tomorrow's penultimate grand prix of the season will have particular significance for some anxious also-rans.
For Jacques Villeneuve, Suzuka and the finale in Shanghai in a week may determine if he remains with BMW next season or whether his career will be terminated with a 2.4 million pay-off from the German car makers who inherited his contract when they bought the Sauber team three months ago.
Mario Theissen, the BMW motorsports director, understands how challenging it has been for the 1997 world champion to regain full competitive form this season after a year out, and wants to give the French Canadian every chance to prove himself in the year's concluding races.
For his part, Villeneuve is adamant he will be driving for the newly-branded BMW team next season. "There is no indication that BMW are unhappy with the fact of my contract," he said. "So there's no reason for me to be worried. I'm already building good relationships with Mario and the other BMW guys."
The reality, of course, could be painfully different. Villeneuve knows well that, in Formula One, paying off an unwanted driver could look small change to BMW compared with the estimated $250 million cost of crafting a new team into a winning force.
In addition, the McLaren test driver Alex Wurz is seeking a guaranteed seat and has been talking to BMW about 2006. Bringing valuable sponsorship and a working knowledge of one of the sport's established teams, the Austrian could be an asset that BMW feel they cannot do without.
There is no such contractual uncertainty facing Giancarlo Fisichella, but the Italian has had a miserable season after his winning start for Renault in Australia. Now, after being beaten into fifth place last month in Brazil, Fisichella will be looking to the final two races for strong results to bolster his confidence and image.
"The relationship between us and Giancarlo is fantastic," said Flavio Briatore, the Renault team principal. "The championship is not yet finished. His aim is to help Fernando (Alonso) win the constructors' championship as well. In addition, driving next to Fernando is not so easy, particularly this year when Fernando has made no mistakes."
It sounded like sympathetic praise, but it could have been a coded warning.
In the Williams camp, Antonio Pizzonia is making his first appearance at Suzuka after being confirmed as the team's second driver for the final two races of the year. The Brazilian wants to prove to Williams he deserves a chance to race for them full-time.
Pizzonia's potential dilemma is heightened by speculation that Williams is close to deciding that Nico Rosberg, the son of the 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, should take the vacant seat alongside Mark Webber next season.
Further back on the grid, more pragmatic considerations govern the continued presence of drivers such as Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro at Jordan. They simply have to raise the necessary millions of dollars in sponsorship without which such tail-end teams would not be able to operate.
"Narain and Tiago know the tariff and what we'd expect them to bring," said a senior Jordan insider. "We make no bones about our position."
Meanwhile back at the front of the grid, McLaren go into tomorrow's race two points ahead of Renault in the constructors' world championship fervently hoping that Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya can clinch this high-profile consolation prize after Raikkonen had to give best to Alonso two weeks ago in the battle for the drivers' title.
