The ICEMAN cometh!!!!

I had been waiting for this day for the last 2 years. Finally it happened yesterday. I was screaming my lungs out which made my landlord run into my house with a baseball bat. He thought someone was attacking me!!!

Jokes apart, Kimi Raikkonen finally got his due after a real long stint in F1. But the Iceman kept his cool all along and for the first time he spoke longer than he did since his debut in the press conference. Ferrari won its 15th title and found a worthy successor for Schumi. Kimi was close to winning the title twice, once in 2003 and again in 2005. But Schumi & Alonso dominated both these years, respectively. Plus his luck was letting him down all through his Mclaren days. The reliability gremlin was something Mclaren never fixed all thro his days with the team. That's one reason for his failure but mainly his driving style was the one that hit hard.

Kimi drives fast, likes to attack the corners, slides on the chicanes but one strong and the same time, the weak point of his driving was the attitude he carried into every race with a feeble car like the MP420 or MP421. He was and is cool in all situations, yes but with a weak un-reliable car, his attack was always in vain as the car wud give away at one point and he scored more DNFs than any other front runner. His bad luck seemed to have a laugh at him in Ferrari but somehow after all that he is now the 2007 WORLD CHAMPION (I don't care Mclaren takes it away or not, to me Kimi is THE champion – a real worthy one)Kimi has got more calculative now, preserves the car, tires and at the same time when he attacks, he still keeps his cool. Thats one trait he has inherited from Schumi. The Iceman cometh!!!

In F1, anything can happen and most of the time that 'ANYTHING' happens. Want a proof? Watch the last 2 races of 2007 season. Now getting into the race itself, all 3 drivers, Kimi Alonso n Massa showed Hamilton how experience matters in the most crucial first turns of F1. Massa moved in front and blocked him and Kimi managed to get past him around the outside and slide the F2007 into the racing line as if there was no car behind. If you think Kimi's heartbeat was up by about 10% you are wrong. He was cooler than ever to think for the next turn and let Massa go by even as the #6 Ferrari was in front and had a better chance to increase the pace out of Senna Curves and get into turn 3. That's sense and sensibility of an experienced F1 driver. Also Alonso sensed the door opening for him and kept his car right behind the tail of F2007 rather than LHs Mclaren. And at turn 3 as expected the inexperienced rookie or the boy wonder for F1 went for the kill – side by side – on the outside, which was sure to make anyone lose their braking point and run wide. Too bad they removed all the gravel traps else he would be stuck there waiting for someone to push him out!!!
The ferrari pit crew orchestrated a perfect second stop to let Kimi pass without any controversy. Brilliant job guys. And Massa.. he is as loyal as ever to Ferrari. The best lap of the race was at the end, when Kimi put a blistering hot lap reducing the chances of Hamilton much further.

The dark lord of Ferrari rode brilliantly on a revived and stronger than ever Prancing Horse from maranello. The Prancing Horse proved yesterday how it could bounce back into the lead when it mattered the most!!! Ferrari won't even the Constructor's championship fair and square even if the FIA did not strip Mclaren off the points by 1 point. The same margin prevailed for the WDC too. Now 2008 is going to be a different game plan altogether with all the new rules and controls. But as I;ve told before Mclaren is an old warhorse. Given that they now know about Ferrari's 2008 plans, it will be much more closer than 2007. Or will there be any change in luck and fortunes? Only time will tell.

But watever is going to happen in 2008, as of 2007 THE PRANCING HORSE not only did raise its front legs but also stamped its authority on F1. LOUD and CLEAR!!!!

Congratulations Kimi and Ferrari.

- A true TIFOSI.