FIA court upholds Raikkonen F1 title

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By Alan Baldwin

LONDON (Reuters) - Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was confirmed as 2007 Formula One world champion on Friday after a court rejected a McLaren appeal that could have handed Lewis Hamilton the title instead.

The governing International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) independent court of appeal, whose four judges met in London for the hearing on Thursday, said McLaren’s protest had been rejected.

"Having heard the explanations of both parties and having examined the various documents and other evidence, the court decided that the appeal lodged by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is inadmissible," it said.

McLaren had appealed against the decision of stewards at last month’s season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix not to penalise BMW Sauber and Williams drivers after an enquiry into temperature irregularities.

Although McLaren said they simply wanted to clarify the rules, any disqualification of the three drivers who finished ahead of Hamilton and subsequent reallocation of points would have changed the outcome of the championship.

Finland’s Raikkonen, who won at Interlagos on October 21, beat 22-year-old Hamilton by a single point.

Hamilton, who would have been the youngest champion as well as the first rookie to take the title, had been favourite for the crown before his lead evaporated in the .....continued below

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The Briton finished seventh in the final race, behind BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica and Williams’ Nico Rosberg.

Ferrari’s lawyer Nigel Tozzi told the hearing on Thursday it would be a "serious injustice" for Raikkonen to be stripped of his title.

"It would be highly damaging for the sport if the title were to be won this way with the fans probably feeling it was more about grubby manoeuvring by the lawyers than by skill behind the wheel," he said.

"As McLaren have always said, the championship should be decided on the racetrack and not in the courtroom."

(Editing by Ken Ferris)