Not since 1986 has the FIA Formula One World championship hosted a three-way title showdown at the final round. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who took the title in a thrilling finish, was thrilled to collect his championship trophy.
Raikkonen said: “I am very happy to be here to receive this trophy that comes with winning the World Championship. This has always been my goal and I am particularly pleased to have achieved it in my first year with Ferrari, which is a fantastic team of people who are extraordinary, both professionally and from the human point of view.
“This victory is the result of the efforts of a group that never threw in the towel, even when all seemed lost. I also want to thank my family, my wife Jenni and everyone who has been close to me since the start of my career.”
All of the top three drivers were proud of the part they played in a memorable season. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who took second place in the championship in just his first season, was appearing at the awards ceremony for the first time.
He said: “I’ve had a pretty amazing season. I was given such a great opportunity by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. To be on the podium at my first grand prix was a dream, but to continue that to get my first win was even more. And to be one of the three F1 drivers at the FIA Prize Giving Gala at the end of the season is a truly special moment.
“I am proud to be at the Gala representing my family and the team that I work for. It has been a pleasure racing for them this season and I couldn’t have done it without their support.”
Hamilton’s teammate Fernando Alonso finished in third place but the two could not have been closer. They finished with the same points and the same number of wins and were separated only by virtue of Hamilton’s greater number of second place finishes.
Alonso said: “This has been another exciting season because my car was competitive from start to finish. From this perspective the team did a fantastic job. Away from the track, of course, it was a more bumpy road but sometimes that’s what happens in sport and I will take those lessons into next season and beyond.”
The constructors championship was won by Ferrari, its seventh title in nine years. The trophy was gratefully accepted by Ferrari CEO Jean Todt.
He said: “It is a pleasure and an honour to be here today to celebrate our successes in the two Championships, which came at the end of a very unusual year. After the Japanese Grand Prix, we would never have believed that we would be attending this evening as world champions. But the bravura and talent of the team and drivers, along with a small helping hand from fate, means we are here in this guise to celebrate a fantastic season for Ferrari.”
The 2007 FIA World Rally Championship was similarly competitive. Fought out over 16 events on five continents on surfaces as diverse as snow, asphalt and rough gravel, it reached its climax in Great Britain, where Marcus Grönholm and Sébastien Loeb went head-to-head for the world title.
Frenchman Loeb and Monegasque co-driver Daniel Elena drove a strategic rally in appalling weather conditions to claim their fourth consecutive world titles.
Loeb said: “Winning a fourth title is simply great. This one has been really tough to clinch but we did it in the end. The competition was extreme with Marcus and I really had to push all year round to make it happen. Above all I am also very pleased for this title for the Citroën team, which has proven competitiveness and performance again.”
Grönholm, in his final season in rallying, matched Loeb all the way to the last event. It was fitting that Grönholm, one of the most exciting drivers the world of rallying has ever seen, played a leading role in one of the most thrilling seasons in the sport’s history.
He said: “This has been one of the most exciting seasons for many years. Our battle for the driver’s championship went down to the final round and the closeness of the competition was typified by Rally New Zealand where my fight with Sébastien Loeb ended with a margin of just 0.3 seconds after three days of flat-out driving. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
The Manufacturers championship was also closely-fought but the BP-Ford World Rally Team clinched its second consecutive title on the penultimate round in Ireland. In a Championship acknowledged as one of the toughest for production-based cars, the team did not suffer a single retirement due to mechanical problems after more than 5,600 kilometres of flat-out competition.
John Fleming, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ford of Europe said: "To win the FIA World Rally Championship, the toughest competition for production-based cars, for a second consecutive season is an achievement of which we are rightly proud."
The 2007 FIA World Touring Car Championship saw six drivers, representing the four different manufacturers, heading into the final round of the season with the chance to win the championship.
In the end, Andy Priaulx’s championship-winning experience served him well and he claimed his third world title in three years.
Priaulx said: “I can’t believe I’m here again to be crowned FIA World Touring Car champion. The season was very tough. I knew I needed something special to retain the title and I am proud that I got to the last round with a chance. You need luck to win the championship but you also need to be there to take that luck.”
The Manufacturers title was the closest yet, with BMW snatching victory at the last race. But the fact that every manufacturer was victorious in at least one race this season is testament to the high level of competition.
BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen collected the award on behalf of his team. He said:
“It has certainly been the most competitive season so far. We were in a difficult situation when we arrived at Macau because we had to be defensive. However, Macau always brings something special and we pushed until the chequered flag. Nobody could have expected what happened but our drivers took all the chances and it paid off.”
2008 Champions:
FIA Formula One World Championship
FIA Formula One World Champion for Drivers:
Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari
• 2nd Driver overall: Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren
• 3rd Driver overall: Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren
FIA Formula One World Champion for Constructors:
Ferrari
Promoter's Trophy: United States Gramd Prix
ASN Trophy: AKK Motorsport
FIA World Rally Championship
• World Champions
Driver: Sébastien Loeb (France) Citroen
Co-Driver: Daniel Elena (Monaco) Citroen
• WRC 2nd Overall
Driver: Marcus Grönholm (Finland) Ford
Co-driver: Timo Rautiainen (Finland) Ford
• WRC 3rd Overall
Driver: Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Ford
Co-driver: Jarmo Lehtinen (Finland) Ford
• World Champion Manufacturer: Ford
• FIA Junior Rally Championship
Winning Driver: Per-Gunnar Andersson (Sweden)
• FIA Production Cars World Rally Championship
Winning Driver : Toshihiro Arai (Japan)
FIA World Touring Car Championship
• Winning Driver: Andy Priaulx (GB) BMW
• 2nd overall: Yvan Müller (France) Seat
• 3rd overall: James Thompson (GB) Alfa Romeo
• Winning Manufacturer: BMW
FIA GT Championship
• Winning GT1 Driver: Thomas Biagi (Italy)
• Winning GT1 Team: Vitaphone Racing Team
• Winning GT1 Manufacturer: Maserati
• Winning GT2 Driver: Dirk Müller and Toni Vilander
• Winning GT2 Team: AF Corse Motorola
• Winning GT2 Manufacturer: Ferrari
• Winning GT3 Driver: Henri Moser (Switzerland) and Gilles Vannelet (France)
• Winning GT3 Team: Martini Callaway Racing
FIA Historic Formula One Championship
• Winning Driver Championship: Steve Hartley (Great Britain)
• Winning Driver Historic Cup: John Delane (USA)
• Winning Driver Classic Cup: Mauro Pane (Italy)
• Winning Driver Cup: Peter Sowerby (Great Britain)
• Winning Driver Sporting Cup: Rodrigo Gallego (Portugal)
FIA European Drag Racing Championship
• Winning Driver Top Fuel: Urs Erbacher (Switzerland)
• Winning Driver Top Methanol: Dave Wilson (Great Britain)
• Winning Driver Pro Stock: Jimmy Alund (Sweden)
• Winning Driver Top Methanol
• Funny Car: Fredrik Fagerström (Sweden)
• Winning Driver Pro Modified Michael Gullquist (Sweden)
FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies
• Winning Driver: Carlos Sainz (Spain)
• Winning Co-Driver: Michel Perin (France)
• Winning Team: Volkswagen Motorsport
• Winning Manufacturer: Volkswagen
• International Cup for Cross Country Bajas
Winning Driver: Boris Gadasin (Russia)
FIA Regional Rally Championship
European Rally Championship
Winning Driver: Simon Jean-Joseph (France)
Winning Co-driver: Jacques Boyere (France)
Asia-Pacific Championship
Winning Driver: Cody Crocker (Australia)
Winning Co-Driver: Ben Atkinson (Australia)
Middle East Championship
Winning Driver: Nasser Saleh Al Attiya (Qatar)
Winning Co-Driver: Chris Patterson (Ireland)
African Rally Championship
Winning Driver: Conrad Rautenbach (Zambia)
Winning Co-Driver: David Sihoka (Zimbabwe)
FIA/CIK Karting World Championship
• Winner: Marco Ardigo (Italy)
• 3rd overall: Nikolaj Bollingtoft (Denmark)
• 2nd overall: Gary Catt (Great Britain)
• Winning Team: Tony Kart Racing Team (Italy) |
