Hamilton snatches crown

Felipe Massa wins the Brazilian Grand Prix but Hamilton takes out the championship.

Lewis Hamilton kept the Formula One world waiting until the last corner of the last lap of the last race before triumphing as world champion in the most nailbiting championship finish in recent memory.

Ferrari's hometown hero Felipe Massa won the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, but Hamilton snatched the fifth place he needed in the dying seconds of the race to become F1's youngest champion.

The 23-year-old McLaren ace denied Massa the crown when on the final turn he squeezed past German Timo Glock, who was fighting to keep his Toyota in a straight line on a wet Interlagos track.

The Ferrari team briefly celebrated as Massa crossed the line before their faces turned to disbelief when Englishman Hamilton took fifth.

Hamilton, too, was unsure immediately after finishing, saying: “I thought, `Do I have it?' They told me and I was ecstatic. I must thank God.

“I'm speechless — that was so pretty close. You guys (his McLaren team) have done an amazing job all season.

“It's been such a long journey — all the sacrifices we've made, I'm so thrilled to do this for everyone. It was one of the toughest races of my life.”

Showers turned the race into a game of skill and pitstop strategy. When heavy rain began to fall again with five laps remaining, the frontrunners darted into the pits for wet-weather tyres.

But Glock elected to remain out on dry rubber and had the fifth spot Hamilton needed if he was to win the world title.

The Briton rejoined in sixth and his gamble paid off when Glock — with virtually no grip — was forced to slow at the last corner.

“It was just impossible on the last lap,” Glock said. “I was fighting as hard as I could, but it was so difficult to just keep the car on the track.”

Hamilton, the first British F1 champion since Damon Hill in 1996, had been in danger of losing the title in Brazil for the second year in a row.

“(It's) the most dramatic race of my whole life,” Hamilton said. “It's pretty much impossible to put this into words. I'm still speechless.”

Hamilton slipped to sixth place after being overtaken by Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel with two laps to go.

Vettel then passed Glock, putting the German in Hamilton's sights.

“Even when (Vettel) got past Lewis, we never gave up, and Lewis never gave up because we knew that Timo was on dry tyres,” McLaren team principal Ron Dennis said.

“Who would have thought that Glock would have stayed out on dry tyres? It seems like Toyota have made a mistake with the tyres they chose.

“Lewis took his chance brilliantly and the result was one of the most thrilling finishes in sporting history.”

Last year Hamilton lost the title by one point to Massa's teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Massa was followed home by Renault's Fernando Alonso and outgoing world champion Raikkonen. Vettel was fourth.AAP

Going out on top, Page 87

LEWIS HAMILTON

Born: 07/01/1985, Stevenage, England

Marital status: Single

Team: McLaren Mercedes

Wins: 9

Points scored: 207

Grands Prix: 35

Pole positions: 13

Podiums: 22

First GP: 2007 (Melbourne)

Best result: 1st

2007 championship: 2nd

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX

1. Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari) 1hr 34min 11.435sec

2. Fernando Alonso (SPA/Renault) +13.298

3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 16.235

4. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Toro Rosso) 38.011

5. Lewis Hamilton (ENG/McLaren) 38.907

2008 CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Lewis Hamilton (ENG) 98

2. Felipe Massa (BRA) 97

3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 75

4. Robert Kubica (POL) 75

5. Fernando Alonso (SPA) 61