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Hamilton snatches title
Monday 03 November 2008
One of the tightest championships in recent memory came down to the last corner of the last race of the season.
Felipe Massa did all he could to wrest the title from Lewis Hamilton's grasp, finishing first in his home Grand Prix and, for a tantalising few moments, believing he had won the Drivers' Championship.
Hamilton, needing to finish in fifth place to win his first title, was down in sixth, behind Toyota's Timo Glock, going into the last corner. But as the tension rose to unbearable levels for the Ferrari and McLaren teams (and the millions watching at Interlagos and on TV), Hamilton eased past Glock to finish in fifth.
Hamilton had to watch while a crestfallen Massa, Fernando Alonso (second) and Kimi Raikkonen (third) took their places on the podium, but the biggest prize of all was his.
"We did everything to perfection and we almost managed to pull it off," said a gracious Massa after the race. "Congratulations to Lewis. Whoever gets the most points deserves the title."
Hamilton himself was rendered almost speechless by the thrill of realising his dream of becoming the World Champion, referring to the race as, simply, "the most dramatic race of my whole life".
Consolation for Ferrari came in the fact that they comfortably won the Constructors' Championship following their one-three finish.
(Image Copyright Toyota Motorsport GmbH)
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