Irvine calm before storm

Eddie Irvine is back in Dublin this weekend for his last rest before the World Championship showdown at Suzuka in three weeks…

Eddie Irvine is back in Dublin this weekend for his last rest before the World Championship showdown at Suzuka in three weeks' time.

The race will determine whether Irvine's team, Ferrari, win the constructors' title and whether the team's top driver, Michael Schumacher, wins the individual title.

"We'll do a total of 17 days testing between the last race and Suzuka," said the Ulsterman from his house in Dalkey. "We'll be flat out at Mugello over the next fortnight and the car is going to be strong at Suzuka."

Irvine is headed for fourth place in the World Drivers' Championship and his points total of 41 tops fellow Irishman John Watson's best ever total for a season - 39 in 1982, when he was runner up in the World Championship.

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Irvine has an incredible record in Japan - since his excellent sixth place on his debut in 1993 he has scored points every year, bar one, since, culminating in a podium finish last year.

Should Schumacher's rival for the title, Mika Hakkinen, retire at Suzuka and the Ferrari cars are running one-two, Irvine can expect Schumacher to let him take his first Grand Prix victory while the German takes the world title.

Milan, Oct 9 (AFP) - Good news for Irvine came yesterday when Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and Schumacher dismissed speculation that the team are set to swap him for Jean Alesi.

Schumacher said: "I don't think Eddie can go, he's got a contract for next year and I work well with him." But he added: "I admire Alesi, we are friends."

Montezemolo said of Suzuka: "I'm expecting a great performance from the drivers, especially from Irvine, who did some exceptional things there last year and put us back in with a chance of the world title."