2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

Formula One motor race December 2020 Alan Henry Autocourse 2008–09 December 2008 CMG Publishing 978-1-905334-31-5 270–271 The Races: Brazil – Round 18 Jones Bruce The Official Formula 1 Season Review 2008 https://archive.org/details/officialformula10000unse/ 2008 Haynes/Haymarket 978-1-84425-566-5 258–259 Internet Archive registration 2008 Chinese Grand Prix 2009 Australian Grand Prix F1 Brazil Brazilian 2008 11 02 y 2008 Autódromo José Carlos Pace (AKA Interlagos) track map.svg 18 18 Formula 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2008 Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil Permanent racing facility 2.677 4.309 71 190.083 305.909 Rain at beginning and end, otherwise drying Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:12.368 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:13.736 36 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari Brazil Fernando Alonso Renault Spain Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari Finland BRA The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2008)http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/brazil_804/circuit_diagram.html Brazil Formula1.com https://web.archive.org/web/20081205143541/http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/brazil_804/circuit_diagram.html 20 December 2020 5 December 2008 was a Formula One motor race held on 2 November 2008 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the eighteenth and final race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa won the 71-lap race from pole position; this was the last of Massa's 11 Grand Prix wins. Fernando Alonso finished second in a Renault, and Massa's teammate Kimi Räikkönen finished third. Massa started the race alongside Toyota driver Jarno Trulli. Massa's teammate Räikkönen began from third next to McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton. Rain fell minutes before the race, delaying the start, and as the track dried Massa established a lead of several seconds. More rain late in the race made the last few laps treacherous for the drivers, but could not prevent Massa from winning the Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso finished in fourth place behind Alonso and Räikkönen. Hamilton passed Toyota's Timo Glock in the final corners of the race to finish fifth, securing him the points needed to take the Drivers' Championship. Hamilton received praise from many in the Formula One community, including former champions Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. The McLaren driver also received official congratulations from Queen Elizabeth II and British prime minister Gordon Brown. Massa's win and Räikkönen's third place helped Ferrari win the Constructors' Championship. The Grand Prix was 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard's final race; the Scot retired after 246 race starts. Background The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was the 18th and final round of the 2008 Formula One World Championship and was held on 2 November 2008, at the 4.309 km mi on Autódromo José Carlos Pace,2008 Brazilian GP: XXXVII Grande Prêmio do Brasil https://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2008&gp=Brazilian%20GP&r=1 live 2021-07-28 ChicaneF1 https://web.archive.org/web/20131104201351/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2008&gp=Brazilian%20GP&r=1 4 November 2013 in São Paulo, Brazil.2008 Brazilian Grand Prix https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/2008-brazilian-grand-prix/ live 28 July 2021 Motor Sport https://web.archive.org/web/20190528175011/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/2008-brazilian-grand-prix 28 May 2019 Heading into the final race of the season, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was leading the Drivers' Championship with 94 points; Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was second with 87 points, seven points behind Hamilton. A maximum of ten points were available for the final race, which meant that Massa could still win the title if Hamilton finished in sixth place or lower. Otherwise, Hamilton would be champion. In the event of a points tie, Massa would win the championship on a count-back, having more wins.http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/10/8599.html Hamilton versus Massa – the title permutations for Brazil Formula1.com Formula One Management 28 October 2008 17 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081220235245/http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/10/8599.html 20 December 2008 livehttp://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.nsf/475632E46002BEDAC125744F004312F4/$FILE/F1.SPORTING.REGULATIONS.19-05-2008.pdf 2008 Formula One Sporting Regulations Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile 19 May 2008 14 November 2008 Behind Hamilton and Massa in the Drivers' Championship, Robert Kubica was third with 75 points in a BMW, and Massa's Ferrari teammate Kimi Räikkönen was fourth with 69 points.Jones Bruce The Official ITV Sport Guide: Grand Prix 2009 Final Results 2008 https://archive.org/details/grandprix2009off0000jone/ 2009 Carlton Books London, England 116–117 978-1-84732-262-3 Internet Archive registration In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari were leading with 156 points and McLaren–Mercedes were second with 145 points, 11 points behind, with a maximum of 18 points available. If the two Ferrari drivers finished in the top six, the team would secure the Constructors' Championship, even if the McLaren drivers were to finish as the top two. Prior to this race, Hamilton was criticised by many pundits for not maintaining his composure at the 2008 Japanese.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71710 Jordan: Hamilton must be ruthless Matt Beer autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 25 October 2008 17 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081028041223/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71710 28 October 2008 livehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7668299.stm Hill warns Hamilton to stay cool BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 13 October 2008 17 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081018015802/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7668299.stm 18 October 2008 livehttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/oct/29/formulaone-lewishamilton Massa denies he will employ dirty tactics in Brazil Jeremy Campbell and agencies The Guardian 29 October 2008 17 November 2008 The Times columnist Edward Gorman said that Hamilton should win the championship, but commented: Alternatively Hamilton may suffer another one of his rushes of blood to the head and do something utterly unnecessary at Interlagos, just as he did in Japan eight days ago and in Brazil last year, and throw it all away ... Suddenly defending even a seven-point lead sounds a tall order.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article4974944.ece Formula One title is his if Lewis Hamilton keeps his cool Edward Gorman The Times 20 October 2008 17 November 2008 LondonSeptember 2024 medicmedic thumb|left|David Coulthard's car from the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, pictured at the 2008 Race of Champions Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan created controversy when he said that "if Massa tries to take him out as he did in Japan in order to steal the title then Lewis has to be ready for it", adding: "If he tries that on then Lewis has to turn his wheel into Massa to ensure he does not finish the race either – he has to take his wheel off." Both Hamilton and Massa rejected the comments, with Massa saying: "Playing dirty has never been part of my game. I don't want anything to do with it. The only thing on my mind is winning the race." The weekend marked David Coulthard's final race. Coulthard's Red Bull RB4 was decorated in the colours of "Wings for Life", a charity dedicated to raising awareness of spinal cord injuries. Coulthard said: "I'm dedicating my last race to the vision of making paraplegia curable."http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44444 DC to run charity livery at finale ITV-F1.com ITV plc 30 October 2008 17 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081103114253/http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44444 3 November 2008 dead Red Bull Racing received approval from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, Formula One's governing body, to run Coulthard's car in different colours than his teammate Mark Webber. This was the last Formula One race broadcast by ITV in the United Kingdom and Telecinco in Spain; the rights went to the BBC and La Sexta, respectively, for 2009.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7306123.stm Formula One to return to BBC TV BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 20 March 2008 17 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081222034733/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7306123.stm 22 December 2008 livehttp://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/11/03/television/1225729233.html Telecinco dice ahora que ha renunciado voluntariamente a retransmitir la F1 elmundo.es es Unidad Editorial S.A 3 November 2008 23 November 2008 It was also the last race for the Honda team before they withdrew from Formula One due to the 2008 financial crisis.5 December 2008 Honda pulls out of F1 Eurosport Reuters https://www.eurosport.com/formula-1/honda-pulls-out-of-f1_sto1774360/story.shtml dead 8 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190508195946/https://www.eurosport.com/formula-1/honda-pulls-out-of-f1_sto1774360/story.shtml 8 May 2019 Championship permutations After losing the championship to Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the same venue the previous season, Hamilton found himself in his second championship battle in just his second season. Prior to the race, he led the championship by seven points from Massa, meaning that he only needed a fifth place to succeed. If he won the championship, he would become the youngest World Drivers' Champion aged 23 years and 300 days. Meanwhile, Massa also had the opportunity to win his first drivers' championship and become the first Brazilian World Champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991.Dupuis Maxime 25 November 2019 The Essential Stories: Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and one lap at Interlagos https://www.tntsports.co.uk/formula-1/the-essential-stories-lewis-hamilton-and-felipe-massa_sto7546273/story.shtml 28 February 2026 TNT Sports The championship would have been won by either of the top two drivers in the following manners: Hamilton would have won if: GBR Lewis Hamilton BRA Felipe MassaPos. Position5th or betterAny position6th 2nd or lower7th8th 3rd or lowerlower than 8th Massa would have won if: BRA Felipe Massa GBR Lewis HamiltonPos. Position1st6th or lower2nd8th or lower Practice thumb|right|upright|Jarno Trulli qualified in second for Toyota Three practice sessions were held before the race; the first on Friday morning and the second on Friday afternoon. Both sessions lasted 90 minutes. The third session was held on Saturday morning and lasted an hour. The two sessions on Friday were affected by occasionally damp conditions, which made the track moderately slippery.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71854 Massa edges Hamilton in first practice Matt Beer autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 31 October 2008 14 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20090303184320/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71854 3 March 2009 livehttp://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71861 Alonso tops times in second practice Matt Beer autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 31 October 2008 14 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081217162959/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71861 17 December 2008 live Massa was quickest with a time of 1:12.305 in the first session, less than two-tenths of a second faster than Hamilton. Räikkönen was just off Hamilton's pace, followed by Kubica, Heikki Kovalainen, and Fernando Alonso. Webber was seventh, still within a second of Massa's time. In the second practice session, Alonso was fastest with a time of 1:12.296, less than six-hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed Massa. Jarno Trulli took third place, ahead of Räikkönen, Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton only managed ninth place, locking his McLaren's wheels and struggling for grip. Kovalainen was only quick enough for fifteenth position. The Saturday morning session was held on a much warmer track, which reached temperatures as high as 36 °C °F.http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8622.html Final practice – Alonso at the last Formula1.com Formula One Management 1 November 2008 14 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081210072407/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8622.html 10 December 2008 live Alonso was again quickest, posting a time of 1:12.141, narrowly faster than both McLaren drivers. Massa, Vettel, and Nick Heidfeld rounded out the top six positions. Räikkönen only managed twelfth, failing to improve on his times set early in the session.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71895 Alonso tops final practice in Brazil Matt Beer autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 1 November 2008 14 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081217163004/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71895 17 December 2008 live Qualifying The qualifying session on Saturday afternoon was split into three parts. The first part ran for 20 minutes and eliminated the cars from qualifying that finished the session 16th or lower. The second part of qualifying lasted 15 minutes and eliminated cars that finished in positions 11 to 15. The final part of qualifying determined the positions from first to tenth, and decided pole position. Cars which competed in the final session of qualifying were not allowed to refuel before the race, and therefore carried more fuel than in the previous sessions. Tomorrow, I will be focusing on my own race: it will be a tough afternoon but I'm comfortable with the fuel strategy we chose; the guys in front are probably on a different strategy. But we're in a good position to finish in the same place as we are today – and that's got to be our aim. We don't need to do anything spectacular. Lewis Hamilton, following the third qualifying session.http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8624.html Qualifying – selected driver quotes Formula1.com Formula One Management 1 November 2008 14 November 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081106050313/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8624.html 6 November 2008 31% left Massa clinched his sixth pole position for the season, and his third consecutive pole at Interlagos, with a time of 1:12.368. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Trulli, in his best qualifying performance of the season.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71898 Massa grabs Brazil pole, Hamilton fourth Matt Beer autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 1 November 2008 14 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081217163009/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71898 17 December 2008 livehttp://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8625.html Massa storms to vital pole, Hamilton qualifies fourth in Brazil Formula1.com Formula One Management 1 November 2008 14 November 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081106050318/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8625.html 6 November 2008 Räikkönen qualified third, though he was happy with beginning the race on the racing line behind his teammate. Hamilton qualified fourth, half a second behind Massa, having battled both Ferrari drivers for time during the first two qualifying sessions. Hamilton's slow pace in the final qualifying session compared to the first two suggested he was carrying more fuel than his title challengers. Hamilton's teammate Kovalainen qualified fifth. Alonso, Vettel, Heidfeld, Sébastien Bourdais and Timo Glock rounded out the top ten. Kubica only managed 13th, having struggled with overall grip for much of the day. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71914 Brazil Saturday quotes: BMW autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 1 November 2008 14 November 2008 Coulthard, in his final Formula One race, qualified 14th; Rubens Barrichello, in 15th, was quicker than Honda teammate Jenson Button in 17th. The Williams and Force India drivers qualified at the back of the grid, covering positions 16 to 20 with Button. Qualifying classification Pos Position No Car number Driver Constructor Q1 Q2 Q3 Grid Final grid position12Brazil Felipe MassaFerrari1:11.8301:11.8751:12.3681211Italy Jarno TrulliToyota1:12.2261:12.1071:12.737231Finland Kimi RäikkönenFerrari1:12.0831:11.9501:12.8253422United Kingdom Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1:12.2131:11.8561:12.8304523Finland Heikki KovalainenMcLaren-Mercedes1:12.3661:11.7681:12.917565Spain Fernando AlonsoRenault1:12.2141:12.0901:12.9676715Germany Sebastian VettelToro Rosso-Ferrari1:12.3901:11.8451:13.082783Germany Nick HeidfeldBMW Sauber1:12.3711:12.0261:13.2978914France Sébastien BourdaisToro Rosso-Ferrari1:12.4981:12.0751:14.10591012Germany Timo GlockToyota1:12.2231:11.9091:14.23010116Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr.Renault1:12.3481:12.137111210Australia Mark WebberRed Bull-Renault1:12.4091:12.28912134Poland Robert KubicaBMW Sauber1:12.3811:12.30013149United Kingdom David CoulthardRed Bull-Renault1:12.6901:12.717141517Brazil Rubens BarrichelloHonda1:12.5481:13.13915168Japan Kazuki NakajimaWilliams-Toyota1:12.800161716United Kingdom Jenson ButtonHonda1:12.81017187Germany Nico RosbergWilliams-Toyota1:13.002181921Italy Giancarlo FisichellaForce India-Ferrari1:13.426192020Germany Adrian SutilForce India-Ferrari1:13.50820Source:FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2008 – Qualifying https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/842/brazil/qualifying.html Formula1.com Formula One Management 18 November 2017 Race thumb|right|Grand Prix winner Felipe Massa. The conditions on the grid were damp before the race, the air temperature at 28 °C °F;http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/63 As it happened: Showdown at Interlagos Geoff Creighton and Emlyn Hughes autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 14 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20190222151956/http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/63 22 February 2019 dead rain or thunderstorms were expected.http://www.china.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8604.html https://archive.today/20130102170922/http://www.china.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8604.html dead 2 January 2013 Sunday weather update – Sao Paulo braced for thunderstorms Formula1.com Formula One Management 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 The Grand Prix, which had a race day attendance of 149,600, was due to begin at 15:00 local time (UTC-2), but was delayed by ten minutes when heavy rain hit the track at 14:56. Every team but one changed the tyres on both their cars from dry-weather tyres to intermediate tyres. Kubica's car was the exception, remaining on the dry set-up. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71958 Brazil Sunday quotes: BMW autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206232206/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71958 6 December 2008 live Following the formation lap, Kubica returned to the pit lane, his team changing the car's tyres to intermediates. This meant the driver would start the race from the pit-lane.http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressinformation/f1pressinfo/brazil/Pages/race_facts.aspx Race Facts Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile 2 November 2008 27 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206133508/http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressinformation/f1pressinfo/brazil/Pages/race_facts.aspx 6 December 2008 dead Massa retained his pole position lead into the first corner, followed by Trulli, Räikkönen, Hamilton and Kovalainen. Coulthard was hit from behind by Nico Rosberg into turn two, spinning him around. The Red Bull car then collided with Rosberg's Williams teammate Kazuki Nakajima. This damaged the suspension and forced Coulthard to retire in his final race. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71953 Brazil Sunday quotes: Red Bull autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71955 Brazil Sunday quotes: Williams autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 18 November 2008http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8634.html Coulthard 'gutted' after last Grand Prix ends in retirement Formula1.com Formula One Management 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081106050343/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8634.html 6 November 2008 Piquet spun off at the next corner, his car hitting the barriers. Kovalainen was passed by Alonso and Vettel mid-lap, dropping him to seventh. The accidents of Coulthard and Piquet prompted the deployment of the safety car at the end of the first lap. The track conditions began to dry early on; Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella was the first driver to stop for dry-weather tyres, pitting at the end of lap two. He remained in 18th position.http://www.fia.com/en-GB/sport/championships/f1/2008/brazil/Pages/lap_chart.aspx Lap Chart Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile 2 November 2008 9 December 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100102121602/http://fia.com/en-GB/sport/championships/f1/2008/brazil/Pages/lap_chart.aspx 2 January 2010 http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8637.html Brazil race analysis – Hamilton holds his nerve for glory Formula1.com Formula One Management 3 November 2008 15 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081205143246/http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8637.html 5 December 2008 live Racing resumed on lap five when the safety car pulled into the pit-lane. Rosberg and Button both made pit stops on lap seven, each changing to dry-weather tyres. Bourdais, Glock, Adrian Sutil and Nakajima followed a lap later. By lap 11, the rest of the field had changed to dry-weather tyres. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/804/6586/pit_stop_summary.html Brazil Pit Stop Summary Formula1.com Formula One Management 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206133243/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/804/6586/pit_stop_summary.html 6 December 2008 live Fisichella benefited from pitting the earliest for dry tyres, moving up the order to a high of fifth position. left|thumb|upright|By finishing the race in eleventh place, Robert Kubica ceded third place in the championship to Räikkönen Nakajima spun on lap 13, losing five seconds on the lap. On lap 15, Massa set a new fastest lap of 1:16.888, and extended his lead over Vettel. Hamilton remained behind Fisichella, and though his McLaren car appeared quicker, he was unable to pass the Force India driver until lap 18. Glock passed Fisichella two laps later. Trulli and Bourdais collided on lap 20 into turn one, sending the Toro Rosso driver across the grass. Bourdais lost six places and rejoined in 13th place. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71963 Brazil Sunday quotes: Toro Rosso autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 Trulli's Toyota teammate, Timo Glock, passed Fisichella later on in the same lap for sixth. Massa and Sebastian Vettel traded fastest lap times; Vettel's 1:14.214 on lap 25 was surpassed by Massa's 1:14.161 a lap later. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/804/6586/fastest_laps.html Brazil fastest laps Formula1.com Formula One Management 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206133232/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/804/6586/fastest_laps.html 6 December 2008 live However, Vettel made a pit stop soon after, having been lighter-fuelled than his Ferrari opponent. He rejoined in sixth position, behind Glock. Kovalainen passed Trulli and Fisichella in separate manoeuvres, gaining seventh position. On lap 36 Massa set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:13.736. Timo Glock was fuelled so he could complete the race without stopping again at his pit stop on lap 36. Massa was the first of the championship frontrunners to pit, on lap 38; Alonso and Hamilton made pit stops two laps after. When Räikkönen made a pit stop on lap 43, Massa had regained the lead, ahead of Alonso. Räikkönen rejoined ahead of Hamilton in third place. Fisichella's stop was marred by transmission problems, dropping him to 18th position when he resumed. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71954 Brazil Sunday quotes: Force India autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 Vettel made a pit stop again on lap 51, his team fuelling him to the finish. He rejoined in fifth. By lap 54, Massa had extended his already comfortable lead over Alonso to 9.6 seconds. Vettel was closing in quickly on Hamilton, the McLaren driver needing to finish no lower than fifth to win the championship. ALLEN: [Massa] has done everything he needed to do and we wait now to find out who will be the World Champion of 2008. Can Hamilton do anything? Can he run it up the inside of Vettel? Only a few corners to go now, and desperation starts to creep into Lewis Hamilton. BRUNDLE: Räikkönen's third and... is that Glock? Is that Glock going slowly? ALLEN: It is! BRUNDLE: That's Glock! ALLEN: Oh my goodness me, Hamilton's back in position again! A hundred thousand local hearts sink in the grandstand. It's handed the place back to Hamilton. He comes through, and if I'm absolutely right, I'm sure, he's going to claim fifth place, which is all he needs to do to become the 2008 Formula One World Champion. James Allen's and Martin Brundle's commentary of the final few corners.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/nov/03/formulaone-lewishamilton Formula one: This is first of many says Lewis Hamilton as he becomes youngest champion Williams Richard 2008-11-03 The Guardian 2019-04-18 en-GB 0261-3077 37% Light rain began to fall on lap 63. Heidfeld made a pit stop and his BMW pit crew changed his tyres to intermediates, echoing their strategy at the 2008 Belgian which had granted the German a podium position. Kovalainen made a pit stop on lap 65; Alonso and Räikkönen made a pit stop a lap later. Hamilton and Vettel halted their battle for fourth position when they came into the pit lane to change onto intermediate tyres on lap 66. Glock chose to remain on his dry-weather tyres and rose from seventh to fourth place as those ahead of him made pit stops.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71949 Glock said car was very hard to drive Pablo Elizalde autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 15 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206231004/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71949 6 December 2008 live Massa made a pit stop on lap 67, meaning that all of the frontrunners, with the exception of Glock, were now on intermediate tyres. The rain began to fall heavily on lap 69 and Hamilton ran wide, which allowed Vettel to take fifth position. As Massa crossed the finish line to win the race, Hamilton battled Vettel for the crucial point needed to win the championship. Hamilton did not know of his position upon beginning the final lap and was told over the radio to overtake Glock during the fifth-place battle.Hamilton Maurice Formula 1: The Official History Welbeck Publishing Group 2020 978-1-78739-496-4 London, England 209–210 Vettel and Hamilton passed Glock in the final corners, the Toyota driver struggling for grip as his dry-weather tyres slid on the wet track. Premature joy in the Ferrari garage soon turned to disappointment as Hamilton finished the race in fifth position, clinching the championship by a single point and becoming Formula One's youngest championship winner until Vettel in 2010.https://www.france24.com/en/20101114-sebastian-vettel-formula-one-world-champion-abu-dhabi Vettel becomes youngest Formula One world champion 14 November 2010 8 May 2019 France 24 Agence France-Presse Räikkönen's third-place finish behind Alonso secured Ferrari the constructors' title. After the race, Button's car caught fire in the pit lane. Post-race Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, and I was just focused on having a clean race. Then it started to drizzle and I didn't want to take any risks – but Sebastian [Vettel] got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him. I couldn't believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo [Glock] – 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. Hamilton, speaking after the race about the final lap.http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8635.html Hamilton speechless after dramatic title finale Formula One Management Formula1.com 2 November 2008 16 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081205143351/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8635.html 5 December 2008 dead 37% right thumb|Hamilton celebrating with his team after the race The top three finishers appeared on the podium and in the subsequent press conference. Massa said that he had "almost done everything perfectly", and expressed his disappointment that despite winning the race he had not won the championship.http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressinformation/f1pressinfo/brazil/Pages/conf4.aspx Press Conference – Sunday Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile 2 November 2008 16 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081114220444/http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressinformation/f1pressinfo/brazil/Pages/conf4.aspx 14 November 2008 dead He gave his congratulations to Hamilton for his title win, commenting: We need to congratulate Lewis because he did a great championship and he scored more points than us, so he deserves to be champion. I know how to lose and I know how to win and as I said before it is another day of my life from which I am going to learn a lot. Massa's Ferrari teammate Kimi Räikkönen expressed disappointment in the outcome of the Drivers' Championship, but acknowledged the support of his team, saying "we won at least the team championship". Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was reportedly so angry with the result, however, that he destroyed the television he was viewing the race on.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72062 Di Montezemolo smashed TV after finale Jonathan Noble and Michele Lostia autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 10 November 2008 18 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081208015331/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72062 8 December 2008 live McLaren boss Ron Dennis praised Hamilton, saying: "He just keeps delivering and, at the end of the day, he's just two years into his career. So there's a long way to go."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71987 Dennis hails Brazilian GP finish Jonathan Noble autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 3 November 2008 18 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206201414/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71987 6 December 2008 live Hamilton received official congratulations from Queen Elizabeth II, following similar plaudits from the prime minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown and the Leader of the Opposition David Cameron.http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44557 The Queen pays tribute to Hamilton ITV-F1.com ITV plc 5 November 2008 16 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081208110201/http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44557 8 December 2008 dead Former Formula One champions also congratulated Hamilton. 1996 champion Damon Hill called the McLaren driver "one of the greatest drivers we have had in this country",http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71965 Hill pays tribute to champion Hamilton Simon Strang autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 2 November 2008 16 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206232216/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71965 6 December 2008 live and multiple champion Michael Schumacher praised both Hamilton and Massa, saying the Ferrari driver's performance indicated his winning abilities.http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44534 Schu 'overwhelmed' by Brazil finale ITV-F1.com ITV plc 3 November 2008 16 November 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081106101437/http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44534 6 November 2008 Massa was praised for his sportsmanship after the race,http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/motorsport/formula_one/7707211.stm Schumacher praises Hamilton feat BBC Sport British Broadcasting Corporation 4 November 2008 19 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081104004958/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/motorsport/formula_one/7707211.stm 4 November 2008 live http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8645.html Felipe Massa – no more the nearly man Formula1.com Formula One Management 4 November 2008 19 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081205143254/http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8645.html 5 December 2008 live with Joe Saward of GrandPrix.com commenting: "He took defeat with a grace and a style that one rarely sees in modern sport." http://www.grandprix.com/gt/gt20957.html Respect and chivalry Joe Saward GrandPrix.com Inside F1, Inc 4 November 2008 19 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081112213643/http://www.grandprix.com/gt/gt20957.html 12 November 2008 dead thumb|left|upright|Massa on the podium after the race Eddie Jordan said that Hamilton "didn't really give himself the best chance of winning the championship – and was very lucky".http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article5071831.ece Eddie Jordan brands Lewis Hamilton 'lucky' as team pulls off tactical gamble Edward Gorman The Times 3 November 2008 18 December 2008 LondonSeptember 2024 medicmedic The former team boss called McLaren's strategy "a disaster". GrandPrix.com expressed disbelief in the outcome: "It was a showdown so improbable that even Hollywood would not have made a film of it. The scriptwriters would have been laughed out of the studios." http://www.grandprix.com/race/r803racereport.html Brazilian GP – Sunday – Race Report GrandPrix.com Inside F1, Inc 4 November 2008 18 December 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081219234100/http://www.grandprix.com/race/r803racereport.html 19 December 2008 dead Autosport magazine writer Adam Cooper called the race "epic".http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72001 Analysis: The epic finale up close Adam Cooper autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 4 July 2008 18 December 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081202024527/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72001 2 December 2008 live After considering other Formula One title finales, Cooper concluded "nothing has ever matched what we saw [in Brazil]". Timo Glock remained certain the decision to stay on dry-weather tyres, when other teams were pitting for wet-weather tyres, was a correct one: "We were running seventh before the rain came and we would have probably finished there if it had been totally dry. Instead we finished sixth so that shows the strategy was the right one."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71992 Q & A with Timo Glock autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 3 July 2008 18 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081206231024/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71992 6 December 2008 live Glock added that the conditions were so poor "I didn't even know that Lewis had overtaken me until after the race". His family would receive hate mail from fans and he was particularly heavily criticised by Italian journalists who held the perception that he assisted in helping Hamilton win the championship.Saunders Nate 5 November 2018 Timo Glock on Brazil 2008: People said I should be shot https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/25183391/timo-glock-brazil-2008-people-said-shot live 27 June 2021 ESPN https://web.archive.org/web/20181116033833/http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/25183391/timo-glock-brazil-2008-people-said-shot 16 November 2018 Kubica's finish in 11th position meant that he lost third place in the championship to Räikkönen (on win countback due to Räikkönen having scored two wins during the season to Kubica's one). After the race, Kubica said: "We made too many mistakes during the weekend and this is the result." His team said that they had received the wrong information about track conditions at the start of the race, which led them to keep the Polish driver's car on dry-weather tyres when the rest of the field had changed to intermediates. David Coulthard expressed his disappointment in his early exit from his final Formula One race, saying: "I'm pretty gutted, it's not how I wanted to end my career." The Scottish driver said that he had planned to perform doughnuts for the crowd, a celebration discouraged in Formula One at the time. Coulthard left Formula One after 15 years with 246 race starts and 13 wins. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "It's a great shame for David to be eliminated from his last Grand Prix at the first corner, but he can look back on a long and illustrious career where he's achieved a great deal." Coulthard continued to work for Red Bull Racing in 2009 as a testing and development consultant.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68798 Coulthard announces retirement from F1 Pablo Elizalde autosport.com Haymarket Publishing 3 July 2008 16 November 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20090504020642/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68798 4 May 2009 live Race classification Pos Position No Car number Driver Constructor Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Points 1 2 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari 71 1:34:11.435 1 10 2 5 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault 71 +13.298 6 8 3 1 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 71 +16.235 3 6 4 15 Germany Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 71 +38.011 7 5 5 22 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 71 +38.907 4 4 6 12 Germany Timo Glock Toyota 71 +44.368 10 3 7 23 Finland Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 71 +55.074 5 2 8 11 Italy Jarno Trulli Toyota 71 +1:08.433 2 1 9 10 Australia Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 71 +1:19.666 12 10 3 Germany Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 70 +1 lap 8 11 4 Poland Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 70 +1 lap PL1 112 7 Germany Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 70 +1 lap 18 13 16 United Kingdom Jenson Button Honda 70 +1 lap 17 14 14 France Sébastien Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 70 +1 lap 9 15 17 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Honda 70 +1 lap 15 16 20 Germany Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 69 +2 laps 20 17 8 Japan Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 69 +2 laps 16 18 21 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 69 +2 laps 19 Ret Retired 6 Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 0 Accident 11 Ret Retired 9 United Kingdom David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 0 Collision 14Source:FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2008 – Race https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/842/brazil.html Formula1.com Formula One Management 18 November 2017 Notes 1 1 – Robert Kubica started the race from the pitlane. Final Championship standings Drivers' Championship standings +/− Pos. Position Driver Points 10px 1 GBR Lewis Hamilton* 98 10px 2 BRA Felipe Massa 97 10px 1 3 FIN Kimi Räikkönen 75 10px 1 4 POL Robert Kubica 75 10px 1 5 ESP Fernando Alonso 61Source:https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bresil/championnat.aspx Brazil 2008 - Championship • STATS F1 www.statsf1.com 13 March 2019 Constructors' Championship standings +/− Pos. Position Constructor Points 10px 1 ITA Ferrari* 172 10px 2 GBR McLaren-Mercedes 151 10px 3 GER BMW Sauber 135 10px 4 FRA Renault 80 10px 5 JPN Toyota 56Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Bold text and an asterisk indicates the World Champions. References 30em External links F1: Massa wins 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton wins championship Official FIA results Brazilian Grand Prix 2008 2008 Chinese Grand Prix 2009 Australian Grand Prix 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix AutosportMoment of the Year New award 2010 Singapore Grand Prix 2008 23 42 13 S 46 41 59 W source:kolossus-nowiki title Brazilian Grand Prix Grand Prix Category:Brazilian Grand Prix Brazilian Grand Prix