Raikkonen claims Formula One Championship

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was crowned Formula One world drivers’ champion after the Finn won a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix.

Raikkonen went into the season-closing race at Interlagos the outsider in a three-way showdown for the title with McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

But with Alonso finishing third behind Raikkonen’s team-mate Felipe Massa and Hamilton only seventh Raikkonen took the title.

Hamilton endured a nightmare race, the British rookie starting on the front row alongside polesetter Massa but then dropping back to 18th after sliding off the track on the first lap and suffering engine trouble on lap seven.

Raikkonen ended the season with 110 points from Hamilton (109) and Alonso (109).

At the approach to the first corner, Raikkonen passed Hamilton to throw the race wide open from the start.

And as Raikkonen pressed behind Felipe Massa, he braked sharply, forcing Hamilton to bunch up behind him, and that gave Alonso the opportunity he needed to pass his team-mate around the outside.

Hamilton’s error came when he then tried to retake Alonso down the straight of the Reta Opasta, braking hard and running wide, allowing four cars to pass and dropping him to eighth.

Even then that was not a terminal error because at least he had his title rivals in his sights, and soon he was up to sixth after passing the Toyota of Jarno Trulli and BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld.

But then on lap eight it appeared as if Hamilton’s dream would surely die as he dramatically slowed, almost to a standstill.

Hamilton could be seen rocking in his McLaren, virtually willing it to get going, while all the time the field streamed by.

Whatever the problem, his car finally regained power, but the malfunction had relegated him to 18th place and 41 seconds adrift of leader Massa.

It forced the team into changing their strategy, pushing him into a three-stopper in the hope that fuelling him short would propel him up the field.

But in the end, it was not enough, as Hamilton could only come home a distraught seventh, so missing out on the chance to become the first rookie, and the youngest driver, to take the title.

Instead, it was Raikkonen the man celebrating, leaving McLaren in despair as not even Alonso could claim a third successive crown, finishing third behind a Ferrari one-two as Massa came second on home soil.

Massa comfortably led for 50 laps, but with his team aware of the title situation, there was no surprise with what unfolded.

Raikkonen, who had been within two seconds of Massa when he pitted, stayed out for three extra laps and flew around the circuit.

It was enough for Raikkonen as he just came out ahead of Massa, eventually taking the chequered flag by 1.4secs.

Hamilton had the title in his grasp just over two weeks ago going into the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai.

But how the team will rue keeping him out on severely-worn tyres that led to him ending up in a gravel trap and without a point.

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT:

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1 hr 28 min 15.270 sec
2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +00:01.493 sec
3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 00:57.019
4. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Toyota 01:02.848
5. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 01:10.957
6. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 01:11.317
7. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1 lap
8. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1 lap
9. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull - Renault 1 lap
10. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams - Toyota 1 lap
11. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota 1 lap
12. Takuma Sato (Japan) Super Aguri - Honda 2 laps
13. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 2 laps
14. Anthony Davidson (Britain) Super Aguri - Honda 3 laps
r. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Spyker - Ferrari 28 laps
r. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 31 laps
r. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Renault 36 laps
r. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 37 laps
r. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 51 laps
r. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull - Renault 57 laps
r. Sakon Yamamoto (Japan) Spyker - Ferrari 69 laps
r. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 69 laps
(rank: r = retired, nc = not classified)

2007 FORMULA ONE DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 110 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 109
3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 109
4. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 94
5. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 61
6. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 39
7. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Renault 30
8. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 21
9. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams 20
10. David Coulthard (Britain) Red Bull 14
11. Alexander Wurz (Austria) Williams 13
12. Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 10
13. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 8
14. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Toro Rosso 6
15. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 6
16. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota 5
17. Takuma Sato (Japan) Super Aguri 4
18. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Toro Rosso 3
19. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Spyker 1
20. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 0
21. Scott Speed (U.S.) Toro Rosso 0
22. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams 0
23. Anthony Davidson (Britain) Super Aguri 0
24. Sakon Yamamoto (Japan) Spyker 0
25. Christijan Albers (Netherlands) 0

CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Ferrari 204 points
2. BMW Sauber 101
3. Renault 51
4. Williams - Toyota 33
5. RedBull - Renault 24
6. Toyota 13
7. Toro Rosso - Ferrari 8
8. Honda 6
9. Super Aguri - Honda 4
10. Spyker - Ferrari 1