Kimi Raikkonen is a very deserving Formula One World Champion. Over the last seven years he has consistently been one of the fastest drivers on the planet, and his success is testament to the ‘never give up’ attitude he has always displayed.

He may have sealed the championship at Brazil, but Kimi won the world title at the start of the season when he was struggling with the Ferrari. Behind the scenes Raikkonen worked very hard to understand the F2007 and his efforts paid off with a big mid-season turnaround in performance. Other drivers might have reacted differently in such circumstances and blamed the team instead of themselves for poor results. Raikkonen did not do that. He did not play the media game and he did not speak poorly of others. He put his head down, he worked hard, and he became World Champion.

After the United States Grand Prix Raikkonen was 26 points behind Lewis Hamilton, making his championship victory the second biggest comeback in Formula One history.

McLaren may be protesting the result of the Brazilian Grand Prix but the FIA Court of Appeal is not going to change the outcome of the World Championship standings. If the McLaren appeal is accepted, and if it is upheld, Williams and BMW will face a punishment that does not exclude them from the race results.

Raikkonen won the title fair and square, and the thrilling conclusion at Interlagos was a very fitting way to end one of the most exciting seasons in years.

It is a fantastic story, and there is no one better to narrate that story than the man himself.

This is 2007 as told by Kimi Raikkonen.

Pre-Season

“I cannot say too much as the real test will come in the race and that is still to come. The season is a long one and so I will only be able to reply at the end of the year.”

Australia

“It was nice to hear my national anthem again on the podium as it had been a while.”

Malaysia

“Fernando and Lewis were just better than us.”

Bahrain

“We could have challenged for the top two places, but it didn’t work out.”

Spain

“I have lost precious points but there are still thirteen races to recover.”

Monaco

“I am not the sort to give up.”

Canada

“At the end of the day, I picked up some points. It could have been better but it could also have been worse.”

USA

“Our target has to be to try and win.”

France

“People always think that you’ve lost it when you don’t have a good result but we just worked hard and try to get it right and I think we can still improve.”

Britain

“I am very happy. We have made up ground in the Drivers championship and there is plenty of the season still to go.”

European Grand Prix

“We have a very competitive car but clearly we have to improve on the reliability front.”

Hungary

“It was a kind of boring race.”

Turkey

“Now I understand the difference between being a driver for Ferrari as compared to the other teams.”

Italy

“At least I got onto the podium.”

Belgium

“We are still a long way off in the championship but we are not giving up and we will keep going right to the very end.”

Japan

“It’s like any other podium really. I would rather be in the middle. Third place doesn’t really give me anything.”

China

“We needed this win and we got it.”

Before Brazil

“As we saw at Shanghai two weeks ago anything can happen. Whatever will happen, it’s going to be a very exciting race.”

After Brazil

“It is very difficult for me to explain in words what I am feeling at the moment. It is an incredible emotion. I want to thank the team for everything they have done this year. Even when we went through some difficult times and it looked as though there was no way to fight back, we never gave up and this work produced its reward today. Thanks also to my parents, to my wife Jenni and everyone who believed in me. I have achieved what I have been after for a long time. Now everything else will be an extra. Today, Felipe’s help was vital and he was amazing. We had to get a one-two and then see what the others did. This time, things went our way and the unexpected did happen. This has been a very nice year for me during which I have enjoyed Formula 1 like never before. In Ferrari, I have found a great family and I am proud to have won the title with them.”

Kimi Raikkonen – 2007 Formula One World Champion