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Raikkonen and Ferrari receive title trophies at FIA Gala

07/12/2007






The star-studded FIA Gala in Monaco was a fitting finalé for a dramatic season in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Not since 1986 has the championship hosted a three-way title showdown at the final round, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen taking the title in a thrilling finish.
Raikkonen said: "I am very happy to be here to receive this trophy that comes with winning the World Championship. This has always been my goal and I am particularly pleased to have achieved it in my first year with Ferrari, which is a fantastic team of people who are extraordinary, both professionally and from the human point of view.
"This victory is the result of the efforts of a group that never threw in the towel, even when all seemed lost. I also want to thank my family, my wife Jenni and everyone who has been close to me since the start of my career."
All of the top three drivers were proud of the part they played in a memorable season. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who took second place in the championship in just his first season, was appearing at the awards ceremony for the first time. He said: "I've had a pretty amazing season. I was given such a great opportunity by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. To be on the podium at my first grand prix was a dream, but to continue that to get my first win was even more. And to be one of the three F1 drivers at the FIA Prize Giving Gala at the end of the season is a truly special moment.
"I am proud to be at the Gala representing my family and the team that I work for. It has been a pleasure racing for them this season and I couldn't have done it without their support."
Hamilton's teammate Fernando Alonso finished in third place but the two could not have been closer. They finished with the same points and the same number of wins and were separated only by virtue of Hamilton's greater number of second place finishes. Alonso said:
"This has been another exciting season because my car was competitive from start to finish. From this perspective the team did a fantastic job. Away from the track, of course, it was a more bumpy road but sometimes that's what happens in sport and I will take those lessons into next season and beyond. The main aspect for me when looking back on the season is winning another four races, including my first victory in Monza and my win in Monaco, which is always special."
The constructors championship was won by Ferrari, its seventh title in nine years. The trophy was gratefully accepted by Ferrari CEO Jean Todt. He said: "It is a pleasure and an honour to be here today to celebrate our successes in the two Championships, which came at the end of a very unusual year. After the Japanese Grand Prix, we would never have believed that we would be attending this evening as world champions. But the bravura and talent of the team and drivers, along with a small helping hand from fate, means we are here in this guise to celebrate a fantastic season for Ferrari, embellished with nine wins and a world champion in the shape of the great driver that is Kimi Raikkonen, who has taken the title in his first year with the Scuderia."
Picture: Copyright FIA





Mario Andretti Joins Prestigious List

07/12/2007




Mario Andretti, one of the most successful and accomplished drivers in the history of motor racing, was awarded the FIA Gold Medal for Motor Sport at the FIA Gala prize-giving ceremony in Monaco. Andretti is the fourth recipient of this award since it was launched in 2004 and joins a prestigious list alongside Sir Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher.
The FIA Gold Medal, which was presented to Andretti in a VIP pre-awards ceremony at the Monaco Sporting Club in the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco, is awarded to an individual that, either through exceptional success, or outstanding effort, has made a substantial contribution to motor racing. The recipient is selected by the FIA Academy, which is made up of eight senior members of the FIA and its national automobile clubs.
Mario Andretti said: "I was full of pride when I learned I would be the recipient of the FIA Academy gold medal. This is a relatively new award but carries an extremely high level of prestige in motor sport and I'd like to thank the FIA Academy for acknowledging my part in racing history.
"To receive this gold medal 13 years after my retirement from the sport offers me a wonderful opportunity for reflection. Everyone knows that racing was my work, but also the absolute joy in my life. And it is the ultimate compliment to receive the gold medal, with the FIA Academy members looking back at my years in racing and finding them meaningful and worthy of recognition."
Max Mosley, FIA President, said: "Mario Andretti is one of motor racing's true legends and is thoroughly deserving of this award. He is perhaps the ultimate multi-discipline driver who has achieved success in every area that he has competed. No-one in the history of motor sport has had a career as long and as triumphant."
Andretti is the only driver ever to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the FIA Formula One World Championship, a record which looks set to stand for some years to come. He won the Champ Car National Championship four times and was a three-time winner at Sebring. He won races in sports cars, sprint cars and stock cars, competing on ovals, road courses, drag strips, on dirt and on pavement. He won at virtually every level of racing during a career that stretched five decades.
He was competitive through all of those years. He was named Driver of the Year in three different decades (the 60s, 70s, 80s), Driver of the Quarter Century (in the 90s) and the Associated Press named him Driver of the Century in January, 2000.
Picture: Copyright FIA

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more pictures:

Kimi Raikkonen 2007 F1 WDC, Prince Albert of Monaco, Sebastien Loeb 2007 WRC WDC; FIA Awards Gala, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Friday December 7th, 2008. (Photo © FIA)

Fernando Alonso, Prince Albert, Kimi Raikkonen; FIA Awards Gala, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Friday December 7th, 2008.

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Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Bernie Ecclestone; FIA Awards Gala, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Friday December 7th, 2008. (Photo © FIA)





Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz; FIA Awards Gala, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Friday December 7th, 2008. (Photo © FIA)

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The latest video: YouTube - FIA GALA 2007