by Rob Wilkins
The 2007
FIA Formula 1 World Championship had it all, with drama by the bucket load both on and off the track.
In the end the battle for the drivers' title went right to the wire and for the first time since 1986, there was a three-way title showdown at the season finale. In the end
Kimi Raikkonen came through to take the crown at Interlagos, finishing the year just one point up on Lewis Hamilton
and Fernando Alonso.
Here
Crash.net columnist and
ITV F1 pundit,
Mark Blundell looks back over the year, in the first of
two interviews about 2007. Just what did MB think about the year?
Read on to find out...
Crash.net:
Mark, if you had to sum up the 2007 season in a few words, which ones would you choose?
Mark Blundell:
Fantastic, interesting - and I would have to say probably the best world championship I have seen since I was involved in motorsport. I don't think there has ever been such an exciting championship.
Crash.net:
Overall what do you think people will remember most about 2007?
MB:
I think they will remember the emergence of
Lewis Hamilton, the fierce battles on circuit between four guys in McLarens and Ferraris fighting to win the championship and the trials and tribulations off the track as well because it has certainly been very busy on that side of things.
Crash.net:
Was Kimi Raikkonen a worthy champion?
MB:
Very much so - he deserved to win the championship. He won six grand prix's and that was more than anyone else. He had a tough couple of years when he was at
McLaren with lots of reliability issues and when he went to
Ferrari it took a little bit of time to make the marriage work, but it is definitely really working now.
Crash.net:
So much has been said and written about Lewis Hamilton during his debut year in the sport, ultimately though he just missed out on the drivers' title. Was the runners-up spot still a good result for him?