And so it was the outsider once again, as it had been last time three drivers went into the
Formula 1 season finale all with a chance of lifting the title, with
Kimi Raikkonen coming out of almost nowhere to clinch his first drivers' crown,
Lewis Hamilton seeing his championship dreams crumble into dust and
McLaren – almost inconceivably – losing it all.
Raikkonen's glory was unexpected, as he had entered the weekend with only the tiniest glimmer of sealing the laurels, but having three times finished second at Interlagos the Finn was finally to enjoy his day in the sun. The 28-year-old's sixth victory of the season – the most of anyone in 2007 – would prove to be the most crucial triumph of the campaign.
With the tension mounting before the start, Hamilton appeared to be relaxation personified, chatting away with brother Nick and giving away few clues that this was quite probably the biggest day of his life. If anything, it was his father Anthony who looked more nervous, aware of the magnitude of the occasion.
There were, though, a number of variables. Aside from Interlagos' challenging nature, there were serious concerns about the durability of
Bridgestone's super-soft rubber, an uphill start and the notoriously tricky first corner. Then there was Hamilton, supremely confident pole-sitter Massa who had vowed to leave the title contenders trailing in his wheeltracks, Alonso admitting to being on the same strategy as his team-mate but with an older engine in his MP4-22 and Raikkonen…well, Raikkonen not giving very much away at all.
There were precedents, too. The last time three drivers went into the final race all in with a shout of the crown, at Adelaide in 1986, the erstwhile championship leader –
Nigel Mansell – suffered a tyre blow-out that shattered his title dream. It was too close to call. And then the lights went out…
