Appeal may hang over F1 title for weeks

[Wizzo]

Kimi Raikkonen may have to wait days and even weeks before the Ferrari driver can be absolutely certain that he is Formula One champion.

Even as the Finn celebrated a stunning victory against the odds in the weekend's Brazilian season-ender at Interlagos, rivals McLaren were preparing an appeal that could cast a cloud over his first title.

Article 168 of the FIA's international sporting code makes clear that it remains up to the stewards to decide whether to move a driver up in the race classification. Drivers have been stripped of points in the past but allowed to keep their placings.

Having had a three-way, down-to-the-wire battle in the drviers championship for the first time since 1986, the last thing the sport needed was further controversy.

Ron Dennis was quite correct when he said after the race, before the fuel issue came to a head, that it had been a great season 'on the track'.

"This has been the best F1 season in a very long time; it is great for the sport. I hope that Lewis wins the championship next year," he added. "The worrying thing for the other drivers is that he's only going to get better."

[SennaMan]

 with hindsight I cannot believe the BMW and WILLIAMS team drivers were not penalised at Brazil GP nor that FERRARI did not lose points for winning at Melbourne with an ILLEGAL car!

[cosworth151]

And we were afraid that there wouldn't be anything to talk about after the end of the season!