He's done it !!!
Lewis Hamilton is the new Formula 1 Champion of the World !!!
Felipe Massa won the race which meant Lewis just had to finish 5th or better to take the title. It was far from plain sailing.
A short spell of rain delayed the race by 10 minutes, then stopped. All teams were now in a quandary as to which tyres to use. Not ideal, when Lewis just wanted a nice boring race.
Starting fourth on the grid, Lewis was far less aggressive in turn 1 than last year and focused on keeping the car on circuit. Team mate Kovalainen was able to give him some protective cover.
For most the race, Hamilton concentrated on remaining in the top five, taking as little risk as possible. This was a good plan had it not been for more rain.
Pit stops threw the race up in the air as everyone pitted late on to change to Intermediate tyres from slick low grip. Everyone that is except Toyota driver, Timo Glock. Glock gambled on slicks. This put him way ahead of Hamilton on the track.
Hamilton came out in fifth, the minimum position he needed, but he had, young gun, Sebastian Vettel all over his gear box in the Torro Rosso. Lewis couldn't afford for him to overtake, otherwise the Championship was gone. Vettels car was dealing with the wet conditions a lot better than Hamilton's Mclaren and he struggled to keep ahead.
This was high drama.
Then disaster. Hamilton went wide coming on to the start finish straight with just a few laps to go. Vettel passed by on the inside and heads went down in the Mclaren garage. Lewis tried desperately to keep up with Vettel, but he was slowly edging away, the position had gone. 6th was no good. Meanwhile, Felipe Massa's Ferrari was way ahead of the pack and the title was surely his going into the last lap.
Massa crossed the finish line and all the Ferrari pit crew and Massa's father started to celebrate. He had won! But wait....
Struggling badly on slick tyres, Timo Glock lost 18 seconds on the final lap. Lewis surely couldn't have believed his eyes. Glock was in sight travelling extremely slowly. As they hit the start/finish straight for the last time, Hamilton passed him to retake 5th place and become the youngest Formula 1 World Champion of all time!!!
It was probably the most exciting finish to a World Championship ever. It was absolutely unbelievable. Massa had it, then Lewis came back from the dead within the last quarter of a mile. Championship battles surely can not get any closer than this. Lewis Hamilton wins at the season end by just 1 point.
Next year he races with the coverted Number 1 on his car. One suspects there will be more Championships to come.
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