The 1986 F1 season was a nailbiter to the very end. You had Nigel Mansell leading the standings with 70 points, ahead of Alain Prost’s 64 and Nelson Piquet’s 63 before the last race of the season. Prost did everything he could to win by leading for much of the race, but it seemed to be all in vain as Mansell firmly held second spot and was on his way to a title. Then disaster struck in the form of a flat which retired Mansell and the Frenchman won the title.

Fast forward to 2007. Three drivers are vying for the title as the final race is nearing. Lewis Hamilton leads Fernando Alonso by four points and Kimi Raikkonen by seven.

History has some interesting facts to consider. First, there’s the Mansell story of 1986, when the leading British driver squandered a lead seemingly even more solid than the one Hamilton has currently. Second, Alonso has officially won both of his titles in Brazil. Whilst he may have yet to win the race in Interlagos, he has had a solid showing each time. All he needs is a win with Hamilton finishing third (not an unimaginable scenario) and Fernando would gain his third successive title. (They would finish equal in the standings, but Alonso would have a 5-4 edge in race wins)

'All Alonso needs is a win with Hamilton finishing third and Fernando would gain his third successive title'


Despite his much improved chances, Alonso is still playing down the possibility of winning the title. Why shouldn’t he, though? This has worked wonders for him in China.

The drama of China would be hard to surpass, but I am all but certain that if Raikkonen were to miraculously win the title in Interlagos, then we would have even more drama, as it would require a finish of third or worse from Alonso, with Hamilton no higher that sixth. It is rather unlikely that both McLaren cars would fare so badly in a race, thus Kimi winning the title would be the biggest surprise still possible.

There is even a remote possibility of a three-way tie for the title. Kimi needs to finish second, Fernando fourth, and Lewis eighth. In this scenario all three would end the season with 108 points. Raikkonen would probably love this scenario, as it would leave him with the trophy by virtue of his five race wins versus the four apiece of the McLaren drivers.

There is a possibility of having the all-time tightest race for the title. If Alonso finishes second and Hamilton fifth,the young Brit  would win the title despite having the same amount of wins, first, second, third and fourth-place finishes. Hamilton in that scenario, would have two fifth-place finishes against Alonso’s one. This would probably be a record that might never be broken.

Anything can happen at any one Grand Prix. You need to look no further than the Chinese race this past weekend. McLaren made the mistake of having Hamilton out on worn tyres for too long, but let’s be honest here, if Hamilton was, as some would call him, a machine, then he probably would have slowed to a halt before that turn in the paddocks. He would have lost second place to Alonso, and even third to Felipe Massa, but he still would have finished in the points, with most probably a nine-point lead over his nearest rival.

Remember how Alonso managed to keep his title with a Renault car that was highly overmatched in the latter part of last season by staying patient and not going for the win every time, but rather making sure that he always finished in the points? Well, Hamilton was either not watching that performance, or he did not remember it for a short few seconds this past Sunday.

Whatever the case, Hamilton’s DNF in China has made the Brazilian Grand Prix one of the biggest events in motorsport this year. So be sure to be watching on October 21. Once the green lights go out, it could become sheer mayhem.

Who is going to win the 2007 F1 drivers' championship - Hamilton, Alonso or even Raikonnen? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo if you prefer.