KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN

It’s tough to fill in the boots of Michael Schumacher — arguably the greatest driver Formula One has witnessed. But it helps when one has an ice-cool head on shoulders, as the Iceman from Finland has. He started off with Sauber in 2001, was associated with McLaren from 2002 till 2006 and joined Ferrari in 2007. When Kimi joined Sauber, he was only 21 and had taken part in only 23 races. But he had won more than half of them. In his first year in Formula One, Kimi proved that he had his place in the sport despite having so little experience racing cars.

Raikkonen won his first race in 2003 and finished second in the championship, missing the title by two points to Schumacher. He won seven races in 2005 and again finished second, but this time to Alonso.

It has been an enterprising season so far for the Finn, and he may pull off a coup over the McLaren duo by claiming the World Championship. It’s long overdue and he certainly has the quality.

• Position — 3
• Team — Ferrari
• Nationality — Finnish
• Podium finishes — 47
• Grand Prix entered — 121
• World Championships — 0
• Date of birth — October 17, 1979
• Place of birth — Espoo, Finland
• Points in 2007 — 100

Performance this season

i) Australian GP: 1st
ii) Malaysian GP:3rd
iii) Bahrain GP: 3rd
iv) Spanish GP: Retired
v) Monaco GP: 8th
vi) Canadian GP: 5th
vii) US GP: 4th
viii) French GP: 1st
ix) British GP: 1st
x) European GP: Retired
xi) Hungarian GP: 2nd
xii) Turkish GP: 2nd
xiii) Italian GP: 3rd
xiv) Belgian GP: 1st
xv) Japanese GP: 3rd
xvi) Chinese GP: 1st

FERNANDO ALONSO

If Alonso fails to claim a hattrick of World Championships by winning it on Sunday, any article on him may aptly be titled ‘The bizarre case of Fernando Alonso’.
The El Nino, who challenged and eventually ended the dominance of the legendary Michael Schumacher, winning the title with Renault in 2005 and 2006, decided to join McLaren in 2007. Everybody thought it would be a cakewalk for the Spaniard as Schumacher had retired. Well, Alonso is not a clairvoyant and he naturally had no idea about the two factors that will rock his world — the emergence of teammate Hamilton and the spy saga involving McLaren and Ferrari.
After a lot of mud-slinging between two of the most talented drivers, Alonso can still claim his hattrick. We just have to wait a few more hours.

• Position — 2
• Team — McLaren
• Nationality — Spanish
• Podium finishes — 48
• Grand Prix entered — 104
• World Championships — 2
• Date of birth —July 29, 1981
• Place of birth — Oviedo, Spain
• Points in 2007 — 103

Performance this season

i) Australian GP: 2nd
ii) Malaysian GP: 1st
iii) Bahrain GP: 5th
iv) Spanish GP: 3rd
v) Monaco GP: 1st
vi) Canadian GP: 7th
vii) US GP: 2nd
viii) French GP: 7th
ix) British GP: 2nd
x) European GP: 1st
xi) Hungarian GP: 4th
xii) Turkish GP: 3rd
xiii) Italian GP: 1st
xiv) Belgian GP: 3rd
xv) Japanese GP: Retired
xvi) Chinese GP: 2nd

LEWIS HAMILTON

It’s been a true Cinderella story for this unassuming 22-year-old from a middle class family in England. When Ron Dennis, the McLaren supremo, signed him up as a full-time driver alongside the formidable Fernando Alonso in 2007, no one gave the outsider much of a chance. That was in November last year. In the months that followed, the sporting world witnessed the astonishing rise of a debutant. He is already the best ever greenhorn in Formula One. It is difficult to find another such example of a sportsperson getting fame and success in such a short span of time.
Lewis, named after the legendary athlete Carl, began racing go-karts when he was eight. He went on to win the McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future series and at 10, met Dennis and told him he wanted to race in Formula One. McLaren signed the 13-year-old Lewis for their young drivers’ programme. The rest, as they say, is history. The World Championship title is at Hamilton’s mercy. Can he do it in Brazil and script something no one has ever done before?

• Position — 1
• Team — McLaren
• Nationality — British
• Podium finishes — 12
• Grand Prix entered — 16
• World Championships — 0
• Date of birth — January 7, 1985
• Place of birth — Tewin, England
• Points in 2007 — 107

Performance this season

i) Australian GP: 3rd
ii) Malaysian GP: 2nd
iii) Bahrain GP: 2nd
iv) Spanish GP: 2nd
v) Monaco GP: 2nd
vi) Canadian GP: 1st
vii) US GP: 1st
viii) French GP: 3rd
ix) British GP: 3rd
x) European GP: 9th
xi) Hungarian GP: 1st
xii) Turkish GP: 5th
xiii) Italian GP: 2nd
xiv) Belgian GP: 4th
xv) Japanese GP: 1st
xvi) Chinese GP: Retired

WINNERS THIS SEASON
• Australian GP (March 18) Kimi Räikkönen
• Malaysian GP (April 8) Fernando Alonso
• Bahrain GP (April 15) Felipe Massa
• Spanish GP (May 13) Felipe Massa
• Monaco GP (May 27) Fernando Alonso
• Canadian GP (June 10) Lewis Hamilton
• US GP (June 17) Lewis Hamilton
• French GP (July 1) Kimi Räikkönen
• British GP (July 8) Kimi Räikkönen
• European GP (July 22) Fernando Alonso
• Hungarian GP (Aug. 5) Lewis Hamilton
• Turkish GP (Aug. 26) Felipe Massa
• Italian GP (Sept. 9) Fernando Alonso
• Belgian GP (Sept. 16) Kimi Räikkönen
• Japanese GP (Sept. 30) Lewis Hamilton
• Chinese GP (Oct. 7) Kimi Räikkönen

BRAZILIAN GP
(INTERLAGOS CIRCUIT)
• Where — Sao Paulo
• When — Oct 21, 2007 (Sunday)
• No. of laps — 71
• Circuit length — 4.309 km
• Race distance — 305.909 km
• Lap record — 1:11.473
(Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)

COMPILED BY SPORTSDESK

BAD OMEN FOR LEWIS

On 10 previous occasions the Formula One world championship has gone down to the wire with three or more drivers in with a mathematical chance of winning the title. There are more races now than there used to be, reducing the chances of three-way contests, and Sunday’s race is the first such instance for 21 years.

Worrying note for Hamilton fans: on the last three occasions when three rivals have scrapped, the driver leading before the final race has not been the one to scoop the prize.

1981 US GP, Las Vegas Before the race: Carlos Reutemann 49 points, Nelson Piquet 48 points, Jacques Laffite 43 points, Alan Jones 37 points.

After the race: Nelson Piquet 50 points, Carlos Reutemann 49 points, Alan Jones 46 points, Jacques Laffite 44 points. A bizarre conclusion to the championship on a temporary circuit in a Nevada parking lot. Jones led from start to finish, the title contenders were off form; fifth place for Piquet sufficed.

1983 South African GP, Kyalami Before the race: Alain Prost 57 points, Nelson Piquet 53 points, Rene Arnoux 49 points.

After the race: Nelson Piquet 59 points, Alain Prost 57 points, Rene Arnoux 49 points. Mechanical dramas did for Prost and Arnoux; Piquet trundled happily around to third place and the title while his Brabham teammate, Riccardo Patrese, won the race.

1986 Australian GP, Adelaide Before the race: Nigel Mansell 70 points, Alain Prost 64 points, Nelson Piquet 63 points.

After the race: Alain Prost 72 points, Nigel Mansell 70 points, Nelson Piquet 69 points.Mansell has the job all but done when a tyre explodes at high speed. His Williams teammate, Piquet, loses out because he is called in for a precautionary tyre change, and Prost inherits the championship.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH