Brazil 2007
WELL, IT WAS ALL UP FOR GRABS HERE - ANY ONE OF THE THREE RIVALS FOR THE TITLE, LEWIS HAMILTON (LEADER - 107 POINTS), FERNANDO ALONSO (2ND - 103 POINTS) AND KIMI RAIKKONEN (3RD -100 POINTS), COULD WIN THE TITLE DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH ALL THE COMBINATIONS OF POSSIBLE RESULTS - SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT ANY ONE WAS AS LIKELY AS ANY OTHER!
LEWIS HAD PUT IN A STORMING QUALIFYING ATTEMPT TO TAKE SECOND PLACE ON THE GRID BEHIND FELIPE MASSA WHO WAS HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE LIGHTLY FUELLED SO THAT HE COULD CONTROL THE RACE FOR TEAM-MATE KIMI RAIKKONEN WHO QUALIFIED 3RD FOLLOWED BY FERNANDO. WHEN THE RACE STARTED, FELIPE IMMEDIATELY BLOCKED LEWIS, ALLOWING KIMI TO COME ALONGSIDE FELIPE AND BETWEEN THEM THEY SLOWED LEWIS DOWN. THIS ALLOWED FERNANDO TO GET AHEAD OF LEWIS. LEWIS TRIED TO COUNTER FERNANDO'S MOVE BUT IN DOING SO RAN WIDE AND THIS PUT HIM DOWN TO 8TH PLACE. NOT LONG AFTERWARDS, THE CAR WAS SEEN TRAVELLING VERY SLOWLY, AS A RESULT OF A TEMPORARY GEARBOX PROBLEM, AND HE WAS NOW DOWN TO 18TH. HIS DAY HAD GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE IN LESS THAN A LAP.
THE REST OF THE RACE WAS A CONSTANT SPECULATION OF WHERE HE NEEDED TO FINISH RELATIVE TO THE OTHERS. IT ALL PROVED TO BE FRUITLESS SPECULATION. KIMI RAIKKONEN LEAP-FROGGED HIS TEAM-MATE AT THE SECOND PIT-STOP AND NEVER LOOKED BACK, TAKING THE WIN WITH FELIPE MASSA IN SECOND AND FERNANDO ALONSO THIRD. HAMILTON EVENTUALLY SECURED 7TH PLACE AND, WHILST THE 2 POINTS THIS GAVE HIM WERE INSUFFICIENT TO PREVENT KIMI FROM TAKING THE TITLE, THEY DID ENSURE THAT HE WAS LEVEL ON POINTS WITH ALONSO. HIS BETTER RESULTS OVER THE SEASON GAVE HIM THE EDGE OVER HIS TEAM-MATE AND HE ENDED THE 2007 TITLE RACE IN SECOND PLACE.
IN THE END JUSTICE WAS DONE - KIMI HAS DESERVED A TITLE BEFORE NOW, ONLY HIS MCLAREN'S UNRELIABILITY PREVENTED HIM ACHIEVING THIS EARLIER; LEWIS' ACHIEVEMENT IN FINISHING SECOND, ONLY 1 POINT BEHIND THE CHAMPION, IN HIS FIRST SEASON OF F1 WAS QUITE STUNNING AND BODES WELL FOR THE FUTURE; FERNANDO'S ROLE IN MAXIMISING THE KNOWLEDGE ILLEGALLY GAINED FROM FERRARI BY MCLAREN'S CHIEF DESIGNER AND THE SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE TO THE REPUTATION OF MCLAREN HAS NOT ENABLED HIM TO BENEFIT.
LET'S HOPE FOR A CLEANER FIGHT NEXT YEAR.
STARTING GRID
| |
| 1.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 2.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 3.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 4.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 5.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 6.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 7.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 8.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 9.
|
David Coulthard
|
| 10.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 11.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 12.
|
Giancarlo Fisichella
|
| 13.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
| 14.
|
Vitantonio Liuzzi
|
| 15.
|
Ralph Schumacher
|
| 16.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 17.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 18.
|
Takuma Sato
|
| 19.
|
Kazuki Nakajima
|
| 20.
|
Anthony Davidson
|
| 21.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 22.
|
Sakon Yamamoto
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 2.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 3.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 4.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 5.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 6.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 7.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 8.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers :
| |
| Kimi Raikkonen
|
110
|
| Lewis Hamilton
|
109
|
| Fernando Alonso
|
109
|
| Felipe Massa
|
94
|
| Nick Heidfeld
|
61
|
| Robert Kubica
|
39
|
| Heikki Kovalainen
|
30
|
| Giancarlo Fisichella
|
21
|
Constructors :
|
| Ferrari
|
204
|
| BMW
|
101
|
|
| Renault
|
51
|
| Williams
|
33
|
| Red Bull Racing
|
24
|
| Toyota
|
13
|
| Scuderia Toro Rosso
|
8
|
| Honda
|
6
|
| Super Aguri
|
4
|
| Spyker
|
1
|
| McLaren
|
0
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
22nd October 2007
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