Massa takes Interlagos, Hamilton takes the title!
It all came down to the final turn on the final lap of the final race in what was a thrilling climax to a fantastic championship battle this year. There were no big mistakes from Lewis Hamilton as he took the chequered flag in fifth position to claim the Formula One World Championship.
Felipe Massa dominated the final race of the season from the pole position, but trailing Hamilton by seven points heading into the race, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Ferrari star. However, it could not have been a more dramatic finale...
"The most dramatic race of my whole life," said the 2008 championship winner. "It’s pretty much impossible to put this into words: I’m still speechless. It’s been such a long journey, but I’ve always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans. We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I’m so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone."
"Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him," Hamilton continued. "I couldn’t believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo - it was just amazing. This was one of the toughest races of my life, if not the toughest. I was shouting, ‘Do I have it? Do I have it?’ on the radio. It was only when I took the chequered flag and got to turn one that the team told me I was world champion. I was ecstatic.
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Hamilton’s title success - in just his second season in the sport - breaks McLaren’s streak of championship frustration nine years after its last success with Mika Hakkinen. Ferrari meanwhile has secured the constructors’ championship from McLaren making it an astonishing seven championships from the last nine years.
It was a tense final race of the year as right up to the chequered flag on lap 71, it was not clear who would be crowned as champion. A rain shower ahead of the formation lap saw the start of the race delayed ten minutes and Massa promptly led away from pole position and was never seriously threatened for the race win. The rest was in the hands of Hamilton, McLaren and in the end, Toyota.
After the initial rain showers the circuit soon dried out but late in the race a second shower really threw the race for the title into confusion. With two laps to go, Hamilton ran wide and Sebastian Vettel slipped through into fifth position and at that point it was Massa who would be crowned champion. Massa took the chequered flag believing he had taken the ultimate prize, but behind the drama was still not over...
Timo Glock, running fourth, had not pitted for wet weather tyres with the rest and on the very last lap of the race he dropped 18 seconds and critically for Hamilton, down to sixth position. It was an incredible result as seconds later Hamilton took the chequered flag in that all-important fifth position and he was champion.
Massa didn’t put a wheel wrong and is understandably distraught to lose out in the final seconds of the Grand Prix. The Ferrari star took the chequered flag 13 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso who made best use of an early stop for dry tyres to vault ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.
"We did everything to perfection and we almost managed to pull it off," stated Massa. "Then, as I crossed the line, (engineer) Rob (Smedley) told me that Hamilton had finished fifth and therefore he took the title by one point. Sport is like this and one has to accept that. Congratulations to Lewis: whoever gets the most points deserves the title."
Kimi Raikkonen spent the race managing the gap to those ahead of him on track while trying to push Hamilton back into the field. It was really a no-win situation for the 2007 champion but at least his third position this afternoon gave him third position in the championship ahead of Robert Kubica, although they tied on points.
Sebastian Vettel finished in fourth position in the leading Toro Rosso pushing Massa early in the race ahead of an early pit stop. The Italian Grand Prix winner’s pass on Hamilton with two laps to go could have cost the British racer the championship, but it is a sign that Vettel – quite rightly - is willing to battle with anyone and in any situation.
"I didn’t know where I was in terms of position and I just tried to pass Lewis like any other guy and I succeeded," said the irrepressible Vettel. "I passed Timo just at the last corner, as he was struggling on dry tyres. Lewis was behind me at that moment, but as I wasn’t sure where I was after the final pit stop for rain tyres, I was definitely not aware that I might be influencing the world championship!"
Hamilton took the chequered flag in fifth position, less than a second behind Vettel, while Glock dropped five seconds to the McLaren driver from the final turn to the start-finish straight. Heikki Kovalainen was never a factor in the race and could not be really with his team-mate so focused on fifth position. The Finn finished seventh in the second McLaren Mercedes.
Jarno Trulli started on the front row of the grid, but a half spin in the wet conditions dropped the Italian veteran down the order. The Toyota driver finished in eighth but with Vettel fourth, drops one additional position in the championship standings.
Mark Webber finished his season with a ninth place but there was heartbreak for team-mate David Coulthard. Starting his final race, Nico Rosberg tipped the Scot into a spin and he then made contact with Kazuki Nakajima. Seconds into his final Grand Prix, it was all over for Coulthard.
It was a poor race for BMW Sauber with Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica finishing 11th and 12th ahead of Jenson Button in the leading Honda. Sebastien Bourdais ran well early on but was forced off track by Trulli and dropped down to 14th position. The Frenchman would never recover the lost ground but did finish ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil, Kazuki Nakajima and Giancarlo Fisichella.
There can be many ‘what ifs’ up and down the pitlane as there were costly mistakes from teams and drivers alike over the 18 race schedule. Some say one driver deserves the title more than another but as out-going champion Kimi Raikkonen pointed out ahead of the race weekend; the most deserving champion is the one with the most points.
The season may now be over, but Formula One does not stop and the test teams will be in action later this month. For Hamilton, testing in readiness for the 2009 season is probably the last thing on his mind as he celebrates his championship success and good fortune.
Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton who at the age of 23 years, nine months and 26 days becomes the youngest ever Formula One World Champion. Commiserations go to Massa who will be back stronger than ever next March in Melbourne...
Earl ALEXANDER
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