Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has clinched the 2007 Formula One World Drivers' Championship by a single point after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paolo.
In his first season with the famous Italian team, 28-year-old Finn went into the final race of the season in third place in the title fight, but came out on top after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton experienced technical problems during the race.
"It was not really in our mind to be a world champion because I was so far away," said Raikkonen, who trailed Hamilton by 26 points after round seven of the 17-race championship.
"In Ferrari, I have found a great family and I am proud to have won the title with them. I have achieved what I have been after for a long time. Now everything else will be an extra."
Hamilton, who led the championship for the majority of the year, ran wide on first lap to avoid team-mate Fernando Alonso, which dropped the 22-year-old down to eighth.
The Englishman then suffered a gearbox glitch on lap eight, slowing his McLaren-Mercedes down to 18th. The problem did not reoccur, but seventh place was all Hamilton could muster following a spirited fight back.
"I have to put the result into perspective," Hamilton remarked after the race. "This is only my first year in Formula One and overall it has just been phenomenal."
On a day when Ferrari scored their fourth 1-2 of the year, Alonso could only manage third behind Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
Hamilton and Alonso ended the season tied on 109 points. Hamilton, however, grabbed second in the championship due to a great number of second place finishes than the Spaniard.
It was Raikkonen, though, who won against the odds to end the season on 110 points after collecting more wins than anyone else (six).
He becomes the third Finnish driver to be crowned champion following Keke Rosberg in 1982 and Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999.
Ferrari's victory in the Constructors' Championship, due to McLaren's disqualification over the "spy scandal", also means that the team has achieved the "double" this year.
Williams' Nico Rosberg (son of Keke) finished in a strong fourth in the Brazilian race, while the BMW-Sauber duo of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld came home in fifth and sixth.
With McLaren scoring no points this year as a constructor, BMW-Sauber finished comfortably in second place behind Ferrari, with 2006 champions Renault in third.
Williams regained respectability coming fourth in the championship, while the fast but unreliable Red Bull squad claimed fifth.
The season may be over, but the focus shifts to the driver market. The internal upheaval at McLaren will see Fernando Alonso move on after numerous rifts have torn the relationship apart. He will most likely return to Renault, which will create various openings for other drivers.
So who can topple the Ferrari/McLaren dominance seen this year?
BMW-Sauber has progressed at a vast rate over the last two years and no one can discount them as a genuine contender.
The F1 world may be catching its breath after an epic finale, but the off-season can be as intense as the racing season. Surprises are commonplace in F1 and 2007 delivered on- and off-track action worthy of a movie script. Expect the sequel to be played out next year with as much fanfare.
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