Räikkönen is World Champion!

Topics:  Kimi Räikkönen

Emeli Dean
October 27, 2007

The Formula-1 Season 2007 found its end last Sunday, October 21st. With the Brazilian Grand Prix the last important and decisive race took place. It was probably the most exciting final for years with three drivers having a chance for this year’s World Championship Title.

The 28-year-old Fin Kimi Räikkönen was with 110 points and six victories the lucky winner and was coronated as the winner for the first time. He reached with an advantage of 1.493 seconds before the Brazilian Felipe Massa and 57.019 seconds before the Spanish Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton had after a technical problem a backlog of one round and came on place seven. As the saying goes: “If two are fighting the third one can enjoy”. The two initial placed Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton had firmly believed that the title would go to the McLaren Mercedes Team.

After Räikkönen had to tremble for the title for around six hours after his Grand Prix victory, finally he, Italy, Finland and Ferrari could celebrate. The FIA-Race-Commissioners detected on Sunday that the cars from Williams-Toyota and BMW-Sauber breached the rule against the gas temperature which lengthened the Championship decision. Because of possible measurement variations there was no penalty declared.

There are only ten degrees difference allowed between the gas temperature and the outside temperature. The lower the gas temperature the car can be filled with gas much faster resp. more gas can be filled in the same time. Besides a car can make it around three rounds longer as normal until the gas reached the outside temperature. Experts however say that the actual advantage with cooler fuel is just seconds and considering the huge backlog Hamiltons’ it could not be the reason for this result.

For the British man the fifth place would be enough to achieve the World Champion Title. With 109 points he equals on points with his team college Alonso and remains runners-up.