McLaren - Mercedes ace driver Kimi Raikkonen is STILL confident he will win the F1 World Championship

Despite mechanical failures that left Kimi Raikkonen no choice but to give up the lead to Lewis Hamilton, he is still confident he'll win the F1 title.

Yes, it was a rather disappointing outing for Kimi Raikkonen at the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix. Not only did he failed to finish the fourth round of the 2007 F1 Season, he gave the lead up to the young rookie named Lewis Hamilton, paving the way for a new era in Formula One racing.

Of course, if you're Kimi Raikkonen and you are Ferrari's bet to succeed the legendary Michael Schumacher, Spain was exactly what you didn't want to happen. After the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix, Kimi is behind championship points leader, Lewis Hamilton, by eight points.

But even with this setback, the fiery Finn is still optimistic about his chances of a title this season. ''There are still thirteen races to go and I am only eight points down on the leader,'' Kimi Raikkonen said.

''Of course I would like to be at the top of the classification but as I have often said, there is still no reason to worry about it yet. The true effect of this retirement will only be known at the end of the season.''

''I am not the type to go over what has happened and I'm not about to start now. This is part of racing and it's impossible to change what has happened. Retiring from a race is the worst part of our sport and it makes you feel the worst. Points have been lost and there's no going back.''

''I asked the team if I could go quickly and I'm pleased they saw that giving me permission was the right thing to do,'' the Ferrari ace driver added.

Can Kimi Raikkonen bounce back at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix on May 27? Who will win the F1 drivers championship? Bodog has the odds.

Kimi Raikkonen 7/4

Fernando Alonso 7/4

Lewis Hamilton 9/2

Felipe Massa 5/2

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for more F1 betting odds and the best odds on some of today's biggest sporting events.

2007 F1 Season Kimi Raikkonen