Everybody has said, and quite rightly, that Kimi Raikkonen is the deserving world champion in 2007. I totally agree. Where I disagree entirely is when one says Lewis Hamilton would have been an equally deserving world champion. Kimi did not only have to fight Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, he also had to fight a FIA that looked like it was trying its best to ensure that Hamilton won.

Cast your minds back to the European GP. Hamilton beached his car in the rain. He was crane-lifted back onto the track so that he could resume racing and score some points. This was absolutely uncalled for. Did this not seem to be some sort of favouritism towards the newcomer?

Let’s move to Monza now and the Italian GP. Hamilton overtakes Felipe Massa on Lap one, turn one, by cutting the chicane. But the stewards and the FIA decide to look the other way. Had any other driver cut chicanes they would have been put under scrutiny, but with Hamilton it seemed like Caesar’s wife is beyond suspicion. He can do whatever he wants on a race-track.

More recently, at Interlagos, during the first free practice session. Hamilton, Honda's Jenson Button, and Super Aguri's Takuma Sato were deemed to have used two sets of wet-weather tyres during the first free practice session at Interlagos, in breach of the regulations. Article 25.3 of the F1 Sporting Regulations states: "No driver may use more than one set of wet and one set of extreme weather tyres during P1 and P2."

There was no grid penalty for the Golden Boy, he was fined $15,000. There was no way the FIA would ruin his chances of winning the championship. Moral of the story? If you want to break the rules, break them with Hamilton to ensure no penalties.

Now for the Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton comes up with a beautiful and novel way of keeping his tyres warm. He might not have done it intentionally, but he did something that could have ruined other drivers’ chances. It was a mistake for which he should have been penalised. After all, other drivers have been penalised for making the same mistake. But no penalties for Hamilton.

How would this person have been a deserving world champion? Another big reason why neither Hamilton, nor Alonso should have been allowed to compete for the world drivers’ championship was that they both gained unfair advantage over the other drivers because of what McLaren was involved in.

McLaren cheated for an advantage and they were docked constructors’ points. Why not the drivers, too? If I were to use this yardstick in cricket, the equivalent would have been the South African players allowed to play international cricket for their individual records while the country was banned over apartheid.

It is poetic justice that Raikkonen won the championship. And it is poetic justice that Ferrari won the constructors’ championship. They would have won it even if McLaren had been allowed to compete. Ferrari got 204 points (Kimi 110 + Massa 94) and McLaren would have had 203 points. Hamilton 109 + Alonso 109 = 218; minus the 15 points that were stripped off McLaren for the Hungarian GP qualifying fiasco, that would bring McLaren’s score at 203 after the Brazilian GP, one point fewer than Ferrari.

The only deserving team and the only deserving driver won the titles. Neither McLaren, nor Lewis Hamilton, nor Fernando Alonso deserved anything this season.

'There was no way FIA would ruin Hamilton's chances of winning the championship. If you want to break the rules, break them with Hamilton to ensure no penalties'


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