supplier Bridgestone brought the Medium dry compound and the intermediate and full wet-weather compounds to the event. A minor change was made to the circuit ahead of the Grand Prix. The pit lane entry was moved from the end of the 130R left-hand corner to the exit of the Casio chicane to try to improve safety. Going into the race, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 88 points, ahead of the McLaren duo of Mika Häkkinen on 80 points and David Coulthard on 63. Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello was fourth on 55 points, with Williams' Ralf Schumacher fifth on 24 points. A maximum of 20 points were available for the final two races, which meant Häkkinen could still win the title. Michael Schumacher had to win the race, regardless of Häkkinen's finishing position, since he would be more than ten points ahead of Häkkinen with one race remaining. Otherwise, Häkkinen could win the Championship in the final race of the season in Malaysia by out-scoring Schumacher. In the event of a points tie, Michael Schumacher would win the Championship on count-back, having more wins. In the World Constructors' Championship, Ferrari were leading on 143 points, McLaren and Williams were second and third on 133 and 34 points respectively. Benetton with 20 points were fourth with Jordan fifth with 17 points. A pneumatic value failure in the preceding race, the , meant Häkkinen retired from the race. With two races of the season remaining and an eight-point deficit after losing the lead in the Drivers' Championship, Häkkinen remained confident about his title chances: "I know that what happened to me in the last Grand Prix, when I had to retire, can happen to anyone, It could happen to Michael. So I am very optimistic. I have come here prepared and thinking about these two races together. Not one, two." He approached the event in the same way as the others. Michael Schumacher had won the preceding two races, and emphasised the pressure of leading the championship going into Japan: "It hasn't been a relaxing time at all and I still haven't completely got over the jetlag from the States. But I'm prepared to sacrifice this and a lot more to bring the title back to Maranello. And the same can be said of the entire team." Ferrari team principal Jean Todt and former World Champion Jody Scheckter called