The awards keep coming for Kimi Raikkonen. The Formula One World Champion was named The Best Driver of 2007 by Autosport. Their complete top 50 list can be found here. The top 10:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (F1 champ)
2. Lewis Hamilton (2nd in F1)
3. Fernando Alonso (3rd in F1)
4. Marcus Gronholm (2nd in World Rally Championship)
5. Sebastien Loeb (WRC champion)
6. Jenson Button (15th in F1)
7. Dario Franchitti (IRL and Indy 500 champion)
8. Scott Dixon (2nd in IRL)
9. Mark Webber (12th in F1)
10. Nick Heidfeld (5th in F1)
I'm not really sure why Button and Heidfeld rank higher than guys who finished higher in the F1 standings. Some other notables:
16. Tony Kannan (3rd in IRL)
20. Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR champion)
23. Sebastien Bourdais (Champ Car champion)
25. Jeff Gordon (2nd in NASCAR)
30. Helio Castroneves (6th in IRL)
36. Matt Kenseth (4th in NASCAR)
Johnson, Gordon, and Kenseth are the only NASCAR drivers on the list. Meanwhile, almost every full-time F1 driver made the list. If nothing else, it shows how NASCAR and other American racing series are perceived in Europe. The hierarchy appears to be F1-Rally-IRL-Touring Car-NASCAR/Champ Car-minor leagues of European racing.
Who is your driver of the year? Top 10?
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