Kimi Raikkonen arrived back in Europe as the 2007 F1 Drivers' Champion, claiming it is a "dream come true."
Finn praises team-mate Massa
Kimi Raikkonen arrived back in Europe as the 2007 F1 Drivers' Champion, claiming it is a "dream come true."
The Finn, who started Sunday's Brazilian GP trailing Lewis Hamilton by seven points in the standings, drove the race of his life to claim the victory ahead of his team-mate Felipe Massa.
The race win, coupled with Hamilton's seventh placed finish, meant that Raikkonen gained a one-point advantage in the Drivers' standings and was crowned the 2007 World Champion.
"I am so happy it almost hurts! This is like a dream come true. This is something I wanted to reach since I've been a child," he said.
Turned out fine
"I've always said that the aim of my career is to become world champion. I came very close a couple of times and in the end everything turned out fine.
"We have always given our best to try to win. Doing that in sport you have to always push to the max until the end. You never know what may happen in a race; you only have to look at the last three races and you know what I'm talking about.
"Fuji was really terrible for us: we were at the back of the pack and our race was over almost immediately.
"We left Japan and were 17 points behind, without the possibility to fight back. I think I can say that not more than ten people outside of the team would have bet on us. But we didn't give up. In a certain sense we believe in miracles."
The Finn was full of praise for his team-mate Felipe Massa, whose runner-up finish in Brazil ensured that Fernando Alonso wasn't able to steal the title away from Raikkonen.
"I want to thank Felipe again for his support: he did what he could do, just like a perfect team-mate," he said.
"I want to thank all those who have been close to me over all these years, all my fans. Thanks to the team: it is fantastic being a part of the greatest team of all times.
"This year I really enjoyed Formula One more than ever before. I dreamt about winning the title with Ferrari and I bet that this is every driver's dream."
