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On This Day in 2025 Kimi Räikkönen Clinches F1 Title in Dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix Finale
On October 21, 2005 Formula 1 witnessed one of its most dramatic season finales at the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo, where Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen pulled off a stunning upset to win his first and only World Championship title. Entering the race at Interlagos, the Finnish driver was considered an outsider, trailing Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the points standings.
Hamilton, the rookie sensation driving for McLaren, needed only a podium finish to secure the title. However, a gearbox glitch early in the race dropped him down the order, and despite a valiant recovery drive, he could only manage seventh place. Alonso, his teammate and defending champion, finished third—insufficient to retain the crown.
Räikkönen, starting from third on the grid behind teammate Felipe Massa and Hamilton, seized the opportunity with clinical precision. After Massa led early on, Ferrari orchestrated a strategic pit stop shuffle that allowed Räikkönen to leap ahead. He eventually crossed the line first, with Massa second, delivering a 1-2 finish for Ferrari.
In a jaw-dropping turnaround, Räikkönen claimed the championship by just one point over Hamilton and Alonso, marking one of the closest finishes in F1 history. It remains Ferrari’s most recent drivers’ title and a crowning moment in Räikkönen’s storied career.