2007 Brazilian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

The race was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen, who consequently won the 2007 World Drivers' Championship. His teammate Felipe Massa finished the race second, whilst McLaren driver Fernando Alonso completed the podium by finishing in third position. Lewis Hamilton, who had held a four-point advantage over Fernando Alonso, and a seven-point lead over Räikkönen, prior to the race was slowed by a gearbox problem early in the race. He recovered to finish seventh, losing the championship to Räikkönen by a single point; teammate Alonso also ended up finishing just a single point behind. This was also the last race for Ralf Schumacher before he moved on to Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters the following year. This was the first time since the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix that Rubens Barrichello failed to finish his home Grand Prix. It was also the first double retirement for both Honda since the 2006 French Grand Prix and Renault since the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, and Heikki Kovalainen's first retirement in his Formula One career. This event also marked the last race for cars with traction control.

In Their Own Story

The air at Interlagos hung heavy with the scent of wet asphalt and frayed nerves. Inside the cockpit of the scarlet F2007, Kimi Räikkönen's universe narrowed to a sliver of tarmac ahead. Rain lashed his visor, turning the roaring grandstands into a blur of color as thousands held their breath. He wasn't calculating points or replaying history; he was hunting the next apex. As he swept past Fernando Alonso on the final lap to seize the lead, a roar erupted from the Ferrari pit wall that seemed to vibrate through the very foundations of Maranello. When the checkered flag fell, silence held for a heartbeat, followed instantly by an explosion of red confetti and raw, unbridled tears. The King had returned.

Reader's Guide

For the event, the largest-scale repairs in the last 35 years were carried out at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, to fundamentally solve problems with the track surface. The existing asphalt was entirely replaced. At the same time, the pit lane entrance was enhanced to improve safety. To facilitate the work, the circuit was closed and no events were held in the five months immediately preceding the race. On 17 October, Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) began to operate the new station of the Line C, Autódromo, near the circuit. The Line C had been extended to improve the access between the center of São Paulo and southern region of the Greater São Paulo including the circuit. As a result, 7,100 spectators used this new station on Sunday, 21 October alone, and 18,000 or more spectators in total from Friday to Sunday. Alexander Wurz retired from Formula One at the end of the Chinese GP. He was replaced at Williams-Toyota by the Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima, son of former F1 driver Satoru. As a result, three Japanese drivers were entered into a Grand Prix for the first time since the 1995 Japanese Grand Prix. Prior to the race, championship leader Lewis Hamilton (107 points) was four points ahead of second placed driver, Fernando Alonso (103 points). Kimi Räikkönen (100 points) was seven points behind the leader. This was the first three-way title fight in the final race of the F1 season since the 1986 Australian Grand Prix, which saw Alain Prost become champion, ahead of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet.

Did You Know?

• Kimi Räikkönen won the race and the championship, becoming the first Finnish World Champion since Mika Häkkinen.
• Lewis Hamilton recovered from a gearbox problem to finish seventh, losing the title by one point.
• This was the last race for Ralf Schumacher before moving to Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
• This was the first time since the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix that Rubens Barrichello failed to finish his home Grand Prix.
• This event marked the last race for cars with traction control in Formula One.