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So... the battle for the Drivers' Championship has reached the stage when people can be heard to whisper the dreaded phrase 'still mathematically possible'. In other words, for all practical purposes, it is now impossible.
Yes, on paper, Kimi Raikkonen could still nick the title - but, on tarmac, it is now out of his control. Even if he wins all four remaining Grands Prix, netting himself 40 points in the process, and even if Juan Pablo Montoya trundles in behind him on all four occasions, it is still most unlikely that Fernando Alonso will fail to score the 14 points in those four races that he would need to become World Champion whatever mighty feats Kimi can produce.
So what will Kimi do? Well, he will try to win those four races, willy-nilly, because that is what great racing drivers do. And Kimi is one of the greatest racing drivers we have seen. And, barring disasters, he will do so.
But, sadly, McLaren and, more specifically, Mercedes-Ilmor, have failed to bar enough disasters this season - and, although Alonso and all at Renault have performed fabulously well all season, undoubtedly they owe a debt of gratitude to McLaren and, in particular, to Mercedes-Ilmor. The number of failures and other gremlins on Kimi's car this year has been, bluntly, unacceptable - for a team as experienced and as prestigious as McLaren, especially so.
