October 21, 2007, Kimi Raikkonen's greatest triumph

For some years now the verb win has no longer been conjugated in the right forms and ways at Ferrari. Since this happened, the Rossa's supporters have had no choice but to leaf through the album of memories, waiting for the issue to once again be decided in a way favorable to the colors of Maranello.

The day recorded yesterday was not a date like many others in the history of the Cavallino: in fact 9 years ago (21 October 2007) Kimi Raikkonen became world champion in his first year at Ferrari.

Perhaps few, if not very few, could have predicted such an epic year for the Finn, called to Maranello to replace a totem like Michael Schumacher, with the handover between the two taking place on the podium in Monza (not in just any place ) in September 2006.

Raikkonen had demonstrated his excellent skills at the wheel of McLaren in the previous five years, coming close to the title in 2003 (escaped by just 2 points) and in 2005, where a fragile car did not allow him to fight on equal terms with Fernando Alonso. However, when the MP4-20 was at its top, the Finn was capable of extraordinary comebacks like the one in Suzuka: from 17th to 1st.

Ready to go, in the first race with the red Ferrari suit, Raikkonen immediately made his mark, going on to win the inaugural race of the season on the Melbourne track. A feat achieved before Raikkonen only by two great drivers named Juan Manuel Fangio (in his Argentina in 1956) and Nigel Mansell (in Jacarepaguá, in the 1989 Brazilian GP).

In a season characterized by internal rivalry within the McLaren team - between the reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and the young boy from Woking (particularly Ron Dennis) Lewis Hamilton - and the unpleasant story of the spy story, Raikkonen was the protagonist of excellent performances like the one in the British Grand Prix held at Silverstone. In the decisive laps for the award of that race, driven like a true champion, Raikkonen even made president Montemolo wrinkle his eyes and he declared without half measures at the end of the race: "In those laps I saw Schumacher again in Kimi Raikkonen".

What better investiture from a track man like Montezemolo who in his thirty-year career in the racing world has seen the best champions take to the track?

And to think that, currently, the most common sport spread by Ferrari fans is to criticize (regardless) Raikkonen, when the problems (the serious ones) of Maranello are to be found elsewhere...

After that authentic show of strength at Silverstone, a period began for the Finn where, despite excellent placings, only one victory (in "his" Spa) came in the next six races. At the end of the season there were only two events left (China and Brazil) and the world championship challenge increasingly became an exclusively two-way affair between the veteran Alonso (95) and the debutant Hamilton (107), with Raikkonen and Massa trailing by 17 and 27 respectively points from the top of the world championship ranking occupied by the Englishman from McLaren who was starting to smell the scent of success in his first year in Formula One.

It seemed like a script already written... but the gods of motorsport were with Ferrari who obtained an unexpected victory in Shanghai with Raikkonen, served on a silver platter by the inexperience of Hamilton, author of a banal timing error in the tire change which it cost him his retirement.

We therefore reached the final stage of Interlagos with Hamilton world leader (107), followed by Alonso (103) and Raikkonen (100). It wasn't enough for the Finn to win, but he had to hope for the help of good luck. Destiny extended its hand to the Finn in the race, with the setting problems encountered by Hamilton on the steering wheel of his McLaren which caused him to slip to the back of the group, forcing him into a comeback race.

A vain comeback, which did not allow the Englishman (who finished 7th) to close the points gap that had been created in the standings with Raikkonen who, thanks to the victory, favored by the excellent teamwork of Felipe Massa, became world champion by just one point on the Hamilton-Alonso pairing (110 to 109). And so the Finn joined that small group of drivers (Jual Manuel Fangio and Jody Scheckter) capable of winning the championship in his first year at Ferrari.

A dream therefore come true, with Raikkonen who, despite an introverted character, not accustomed to public celebrations, was unable to hold back his joy and tears during the podium celebration.

Precisely that 21 October 2007 is to date the highest point reached by a Ferrari driver in the last nine years. What followed were bitter disappointments (Interlagos 2008, Abu Dhabi 2010) and technical projects that were not up to par, which were followed by various technical and management revolutions within the Cavallino, creating more confusion than order.

Formula One, like other sporting disciplines, is cyclical and it will also be up to Ferrari, and its future drivers, to savor the joy of final victory again. But at the moment it is not possible to predict when this fasting period will end.

Piero Ladisa