More than one million of Mika Hakkinen's fellow Finns are expected to get up in the early hours of Sunday morning to watch his Suzuka Formula One showdown with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher.
That viewing figure is a small fraction of the worldwide television audience which may be numbered in hundreds of millions. But it represents just over one in five of the Finnish population who will be egging on Hakkinen as he bids to emulate the feat of countryman and manager Keke Rosberg, who won the title in 1982.
"Formula One has created a lot of excitement this year and it has been helped because it's been such an exciting championship," said Hakkinen.
Hakkinen takes a four-point lead over Schumacher into the final race, knowing second place will be good enough to win. The 30-year-old's main danger is if he fails to finish - second place would then be good enough for Schumacher - but the McLaren driver is confident it will be a clean fight.
Formula One has been littered with controversial last-race finishes, especially at Suzuka when the rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost was at its peak a decade ago.
Schumacher has also been involved in his fair share, including his 1994 triumph over Britain's Damon Hill and his failed attempt to force Jacques Villeneuve off the Spanish track last year.
But Hakkinen reckons Schumacher and team-mate Eddie Irvine will play fair on Sunday, especially as only a one-two for Ferrari will guarantee them the drivers' title.
"I believe it is going to be a fair fight. That's what everybody wants, and everyone will be watching us.
"We have all made mistakes in the past but we don't want people pointing the finger afterwards. It is a very critical position going into the race, but nobody will want to risk an accident.
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