OK, let’s start with a few facts before I lay out the plaudits for the new Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

1) Lewis Hamilton is a great driver, but nowhere near as great as the pundits and some of his new fans would have you believe – he has even been compared to Stirling Moss, Michael Schumacher and just about any driver you care to mention. However, these statements have been made in the main by the biased British press.

2) McLaren broke the rules … badly! They were punished, somehow their drivers got away with no penalty, but either way it mattered little as Ferrari cleaned up, taking the constructors’ crown as well as the world title.

‘The season has been overshadowed by events off the track ... the whole ‘spygate’ debacle, but also the in-fighting at McLaren and the tantrums of Alonso.’


3) Kimi Raikkonen finally had the luck his driving merited and there is no more deserving winner than the Finn.

It couldn’t have been scripted better – going into the final race of the season a whole sequence of events had to occur to prevent Hamilton being crowned the youngest ever F1 champion. There can be no denying that the young Englishman choked, but what else would you expect from a rookie who in his first season has done better than anyone could have hoped? Placed on a pedestal by all and sundry it is clear that all the pressure on his youthful shoulders finally told and his mistakes in the first lap cost him dear. The 22-year-old still managed to get his car past a whole host of back markers as he stormed through the pack and came achingly close to securing the points needed for the title.

There is a danger that in light of events at Interlagos many will feel that Hamilton lost the title rather than Kimi winning it. This would be hugely unfair. Let’s first of all note that Kimi won six races this season to Alonso and Hamilton’s four apiece. Let’s also take into account the unfortunate luck that Raikkonen has experienced over the last few years – the 28-year-old is a two-time championship runner-up, both with McLaren. And he couldn't resist a dig at his old team in the post-race press conference by pointing out that he enjoyed this season far more than any other.

The Brazilian Grand Prix was one of the best races in years and any audience tuning in specifically to see Hamilton triumph may well have been so impressed by the sheer excitement that they will have forgotten about Hamilton’s failings and will instead tune in for next year’s championships.

The season has been somewhat overshadowed by events off the track, most notably the whole ‘spygate’ debacle, but also the in-fighting at McLaren, who found it hard to deal with the temper tantrums of Fernando Alonso. The double world champion must surely be on his way out from the Woking-based team.

In the post-Schumacher F1 world there were many who forecast that the sport could struggle but this exciting season has helped to give it a new lease of life. The old predictability of a Schuey win has been replaced by the young gun, Hamilton, scrapping with his own  team-mate and a championship that could not have been much closer.

There are many young faces in the paddock that are helping to bring a new audience to the motorsport, drivers like Hamilton, Sebastien Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and others. There are also the old stagers like David Coulthard who, despite being in a hugely inferior car, still has the ability to warrant another season in the cut-throat world of Formula One. Right now there is a nice mix of youth and experience and I think the next few years should be good ones for the sport.

The 2007 season has in many ways been about personalities rather than teams, I have been impressed by the way Hamilton has dealt with the pressure over the season, always respectful in defeat. Alonso has appeared sulky at best and downright petty at times. Ferrari as a team has triumphed over their opposition in every possible way. If this season made winners out of Raikkonen and Hamilton then this year’s big loser is McLaren boss Ron Dennis and it may be that his defeat may signal the end of his illustrious F1 career.

Can Hamilton roar back to win it next year? Post a comment below or write your own Sportingo article.