Räikkönen's victory marked Ferrari's 200th Formula One win and was the last race to display open cigarette advertising on an F1 car.
Key Facts
- Race number in 2007 season
- 16th of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship
- Winner
- Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari)
- Ferrari milestone
- 200th Formula One Grand Prix victory
- Hamilton retirement
- First retirement of his F1 career, stuck in gravel on worn tyres
- Last open cigarette ad
- Marlboro sponsorship openly displayed on Ferrari for final time
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Heading into the race, Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship and was poised to clinch the title. Ferrari and Räikkönen remained in contention, requiring a strong result to keep championship hopes alive. Hamilton's decision to stay out on heavily worn tyres in wet pit-entry conditions set the stage for a dramatic outcome.
The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was held on 7 October at Shanghai International Circuit. Kimi Räikkönen won for Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso second and Felipe Massa third. Championship leader Hamilton was forced to retire after his worn tyres caused him to slide off at a wet pit entrance, leaving him stranded in the gravel in the first retirement of his F1 career.
Räikkönen's win, Ferrari's historic 200th victory, closed Hamilton's championship lead and kept the title fight alive heading into the final race. The event also marked the last time cigarette branding — specifically Marlboro's Ferrari sponsorship — was openly displayed on a Formula One car, ending an era of tobacco advertising in the sport.