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Name: Kimi Raikkonen
Birthday: October 17, 1979
Team: Ferrari
Country: Finland
Podiums: 49
F1 Titles: 1 

Kimi Raikkonen entered Formula One  as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001. Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence from the FIA after a performance delivery promise from his team boss, Peter Sauber. He joined McLaren Mercedes in 2002, and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the 2003 and 2005 championships to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively.

Switching to Ferrari in 2007, Raikkonen became the highest paid driver in the sport, and secured his first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, beating McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point.

Raikkonen is very calm and cool —prompting the nickname “Iceman”, which is written on the side of his current helmet design.

After a disappointing first week for Ferrari, Raikkonen won his first race of the 2008 season at the Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen, and placing 2nd behind Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Name: Lewis Hamilton
Birthday: January 7, 1985
Team: McLaren
Country: England
Podiums: 13
F1 Titles: 0  

In 2006 Lewis Hamilton stunned onlookers with a string of spectacular performances in GP2. Outshining his more-experienced team mate Alexandre Premat and a resurgent Nelson Piquet Jr with his bold driving style, he won the title and, perhaps more importantly, the Formula One paddock’s admiration.

In late 2006 the McLaren team - shy of a second driver to pair up with incoming champion Fernando Alonso for the 2007 season - decided to see how their protege would cope in a Formula One car. They were not disappointed and rewarded Hamilton’s impressive testing times and mature approach with a race seat.

It was an out-of-character move for a traditionally conservative squad, but one which quickly paid dividends for team and driver alike. Hamilton won four Grands Prix in his debut season and led the championship for much of the year, developing an intense rivalry with Alonso both on and off the circuit. Only a mixture of bad luck and inexperience in the final two rounds deprived him of the title. It was an opportunity missed, but one which, given Hamilton’s huge talent, is almost certain to come his way again.

Name: Fernando Alonso
Birthday: July 29, 1981
Team: Renault
Country: Spain
Podiums: 49
F1 Titles: 2  

In 2005 he claimed the drivers’ crown with two races left to run and became the youngest title holder in Formula One history. A second successive title -deservedly won at Michael Schumacher’s expense during the German’s final season- served to bear out Alonso’s position as the vanguard of a new generation.

For 2007 he moved to McLaren and finished level on points with teammate Lewis Hamilton at season’s end. They were beaten to the title by a single point by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.  His relationship with the team grew increasingly strained, particularly after his evidence helped condemn the team in the Ferrari ‘spy scandal’ affair.

Formula One team McLaren has been fined $100 million and has been stripped from their constructor points for allegedly using technical secret information from the Ferrari team. The situation began when secret documents were found at the house of Mike Coughlan - who is the teams chief designer- -now suspended of course- apparently handed to him by Nigel Stepney Ferrari’s former mechanic. This represent a huge blow to McLaren as they were leading the table by 23 points ahead of Ferrari.

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