Kimi Raikonnen might be a less-than-inspirational figure for Ferrari in the current Formula One season, but on this day eight years ago he reached the zenith of the sport as he lifted the drivers’ championship.

The victory had seemed an unlikely one weeks previously, McLaren rookie Lewis Hamilton thrashing all before him.

By the time the season swung by to Brazil for the decider, a three-way battle had emerged including McLaren’s defending champion Fernando Alonso.

An incident-packed race ensued, Raikonnen taking the win thanks to team-mate Felipe Massa’s pit-stop strategy while Hamilton finished seventh. In the end, only one point separated the Finn from the McLarens.

1973: Baseball great Dick Williams chose the perfect moment to step down as Oakland Athletics, leaving after clinching a second-consecutive World Series title.

1979: Greta Weitz of Norway became the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and 30 minutes, clocking 2:37:33 in the New York City Marathon.

1984: Niki Lauda clinched his third Formula One world title. 2014: South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was jailed for five years for shooting his girlfriend dead.