Grand Prix of Brazil, Kimi Finishes 3rd – Hamilton 2008 World Champion

| Sunday, Race Day – Massa Wins Race But Hamilton Takes Title | *Evenstar’s Review & Many Videos Posted*

Lewis Hamilton became Formula One’s youngest ever world champion by
finishing fifth in an incredibly dramatic rain-affected Brazilian Grand
Prix.

Felipe Massa won the race for Ferrari and looked set to take the
title until McLaren driver Hamilton slipped past Timo Glock’s Toyota
and into the crucial fifth place at the final corner of the very last
lap.

Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) completed the
podium finishers, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel, whose
penultimate lap pass on Hamilton had looked set to hand Massa the
title, only for Glock’s gamble of staying on dry tyres in a late race
shower to fail, causing the Toyota to slip from fourth to sixth within
sight of the flag and giving Hamilton the title after all.

Ferrari still clinched the constructors’ title, as the two McLarens only finished fifth and seventh…(read full race report here)

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
 1.  Massa         Ferrari               (B)  1h34:11:435
 2.  Alonso        Renault               (B)  +    13.298
 3.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  +    16.235
 4.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +    38.011
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    38.907
 6.  Glock         Toyota                (B)  +    44.368
 7.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    55.074
 8.  Trulli        Toyota                (B)  +  1:08.433
 9.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +  1:19.666
10.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +     1 lap
11.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)  +     1 lap
12.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +     1 lap
13.  Button        Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
14.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +     1 lap
15.  Barrichello   Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
16.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari   (B)  +    2 laps
17.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +    2 laps
18.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari   (B)  +    2 laps

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:13.376

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Piquet        Renault               (B)    1
Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault      (B)    1

| Race Quotes – Kimi Happy With Team Title

"I did what I was supposed to do, and it wasn’t the best race ever
but the car was quite difficult," said Raikkonen. "It was quite tricky
to get the front tyres working and the first and second stint were
quite difficult at the beginning.

"I was catching up Fernando but then came the rain and I was right
behind him but I could not come in. We decided to stay with third
place.

"For us we won the teams championship and it was unlucky for Felipe but that was one of our aims, that is what we wanted.

"It was not the easiest thing for the team but we got the good
results for the team and we must be happy. It hasn’t been an easy year
all the way through but I am very happy with that."

Ferrari Team Quotes

Felipe Massa – 1st: "It was an exciting day. We did
everything to perfection and we almost managed to pull it off. Then, as
I crossed the line, Rob 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. I am very proud of the whole team and how much support they have
given me during this fantastic season. Now we must be happy with what
have done, namely bringing home the Constructors’ title which I know is
so important for the team.

"It was a season of highs and lows and we have learned a lot, from
the good moments and from our mistakes. I can leave Interlagos with my
head held high because once again I have won in front of my home crowd
and because this is an unforgettable day. Now I want to celebrate with
my family, my friends and my team. We deserve it!"

Kimi Raikkonen – 3rd: "I am happy that the team has
managed to win the Constructors’ title and I am sorry for Felipe, who
has lost the title by a single point. That’s racing and we have to live
with it. I am particularly happy for Stefano, in his first year as team
principal as I know how much pressure he has had to deal with and I
think that this result is a good reward for that.

"My race was not particularly exciting. At the start the track was
wet, especially the first three corners, where I was being very careful
not to make a mistake. Then, my first set of dry tyres gave me a lot of
understeer and I was struggling to match the pace of the leaders.

"On the second set, things gradually improved and I managed to close
up on Alonso. Then, when we went onto wets, I got very close but the
team told me to avoid taking any risks as Felipe had a chance of
winning the title and so I gave up on attacking him. A not very
positive season for me has come to an end, but I will do all I can to
make up for it next year."

Stefano Domenicali: "It was an incredible day and
we are happy with what we have achieved. Eight out of ten: that was the
target set us by President Montezemolo at the start of the season and
we achieved it, at the end of a difficult, complicated and
incident-packed season.

"The entire team, both at the track and back home always work with
great intensity and it deserves to be congratulated for this. Of
course, there is disappointment that we did not get to see Felipe
realize his dream, especially given how the race turned out, but I
think that nevertheless, days like this are important.

"Felipe has grown so much, year after year, demonstrating his talent
and personality, answering his critics with his driving and with his
mind. He has had an amazing season and would have deserved the title.
That’s sport, it can sometimes be cruel. Last year we won the Drivers’
title by a point and this year we lost it by one.

"I wish to congratulate Hamilton, the new world champion. In
conclusion, I wish to thank first and foremost, President Montezemolo,
who is always close at hand, especially in the most difficult moments.
Then I also thank our technical and commercial partners and of course,
the FIAT Group, of which we are proud to be a part."

Luca Baldisserri: "Last year we won both titles at
the last race and this year we lost one, with just a few metres to go.
We had a perfect race, without making the slightest mistake in
difficult conditions, with the rain playing its part at the start and
at the end.

"Once again, we have won the Constructors’ title which is in itself
a great achievement. It confirms that this team, considering also all
the changes it has undergone in the last two years, is still the best.
I wish to congratulate Felipe, for yet another amazing race: he has had
a fantastic season, as a driver and as a person."

Domenicali: Kimi Will Fight Back

"I think for sure this year was a difficult year for him," said Domenicali when asked by autosport.com about how Raikkonen would move on from the events of this season.

"But he is happy because we won together as a team. And he is
looking forward to starting again, because for sure this is not the one
that he knows.

"I already said that a lot of people were talking last season about
Valentino Rossi being finished this year, and he has actually done a
lot. So I am expecting the same kind of approach in 2009."

That
was just the most dramatic and unbelievable season finale that I’ve
ever witnessed! A huge pat on the back for Massa, as he won one of his
best races in my opinion. Commiserations to Hamilton, who has achieved
becoming youngest world champion in history. And well done Kimi, for
being there on the podium. You were a great teammate to Massa and your
comforting to him on the podium was wonderful to see.

[Update at 5pm, 3/11]
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to share my race review straight away as I
usually do. I had other things planned but the delay gave me enough
time, a new day, to contemplate about what happened in the race and the
new F1 champion.

So
the rain fell down on the Interlagos circuit minutes before the start.
It added a whole new dimension to the pressure and anxiety Ferrari and
McLaren must have been feeling. It felt as if I was watching the
prelude to a battle in a film, where the thunder cracks and the rain
falls on the army waiting below, the drops tinkling on their helmets.
This was a battle, in the purest form of racing and a great end to the
2008 season. I’m not sure whether I felt more nervous than I did before
last year’s Brazil Grand Prix. Perhaps I did because this was Massa on
his home ground and the setting was much more intense after the sudden
downpour. Last year I believed 100% in Kimi and I wasn’t too worried
about Hamilton. Personally, I believe there seems to be a different
Hamilton under that yellow helmet of his when he’s racing against Kimi
who’s infront (Canada, Spa, Fuji). Last year against our Raikko,
Hamilton completely lost his cool and lost the championship. This time
however with Massa, he controlled himself and won. Only just. And that
absolutely small margin that he won it by says a lot. And despite
taking the youngest champion record, how it ended was not neccessarily
something to be proud of. But he can be proud that he didn’t make any mistakes so credit to him for that intense final lap that he managed to keep the car in control.

Hamilton’s
head was saved by the rain at the start and you could see the sense of
relief in his eyes through the onboard camera. Turns 1 and 2 in the wet
are treacherous. So the whole field were holding back and tip toed
through. If it remained dry, I’m sure Hamilton would have been
slightely more challenged. Massa and Trulli got away well and Kimi held
his ground and kept up with Trulli. The Kovalainen, Alonso and Vettel
mix was one of the best start battles this year. I’ll have to watch it
again as I’ve already forgotten how it played out, but Vettel in
particular was absolutely like a mad dog and his performance throughout
the race was the best, although being slightely compromised it seemed
with his second pit stop strategy.

The
biggest disappointment of the start had to be Coulthard’s exit, on his
final ever Grand Prix. He was gutted and said he hoped to have done
some donuts for the crowds after the race, which would have been
fantastic to see. Rosberg was the only driver to make contact through
turns 1 and 2 and hitting Coulthard resulted in Nakajima collecting the
Scotsman’s spin. We had a brilliant new camera fitted on Coulthard’s
helmet below his visor this weekend and we didn’t get to enjoy it for
the race! Anyway, we’d like to thank Coulthard (for being a great
teammate and almost like a big brother to Kimi at McLaren) and we wish
him all the best in the future and we look forward to seeing him again
on the BBC F1 broadcast next year.

As
the track dried out, though the first part was still considerably
slippery, Massa was doing a solid job in the lead and his pace was
getting better and better. Kimi and the Ferrari crew made a great pit
stop when he managed to jump ahead of Trulli to the pit exit as they
both pitted at the same time. Hamilton and McLaren’s tactics were
overly conservative and they didn’t really make the best out of his 4th
place in qualifying. Both Alonso and Vettel out-performed Hamilton and
were ahead of him. Even the Toyota of Glock had more pace than
Hamilton. There were some fantastic slides and bits of great car
control in turn 2 and some drivers were caught out. I did find Trulli’s
defensive move on Bourdais into turn 1 a bit rude, he completely pushed
him off the line onto the grass. After complaining about Hamilton’s
driving notably in Monza, it’s quite funny seeing themselves doing it.
Everything’s in a different perspective when racing you’re like mad I
guess.

So
Massa was still doing what he needed to and showed composure. With the
rain, he could have easily made a mistake like he usually does in those
conditions and even set the fastest lap. If he won the championship as
he so nearly did, he would have earnt it from his race in Brazil. In
comparison to Hamilton, Massa actually drove like a champion. Hamilton
was beaten by two cars behind him and whether that was due to being
conservative, I’m not sure. He allowed Kubica to get past who wanted to
unlap himself but I don’t think anyone cared about where Hamilton was.
He could do nothing against Vettel in the end and Hamilton’s race was
over. The rain cloud cast a shadow over the circuit and at midday, it
looked like the sun was setting. He practically lost the championship
to Massa when the Ferrari crossed the finish line. He was tremendously
lucky in those final 4 seconds, thanks to Glock. The Toyota was on dry
tyres, unfortunately he couldn’t control the car as we saw at Spa with
Kimi and Hamilton on dry tyres. I can imagine the anger at Glock in
that moment for the Brazilian fans but it wasn’t his fault. It is still
clear to me that Hamilton could do nothing and so he hardly earnt his
5th place.

I
couldn’t believe that Massa was literally the champion when he crossed
the line. I was laughing. I wanted to cry for him. I realised at that
moment my heart wanted Massa to win in the end. I felt it doesn’t
matter if he’s Kimi’s teammate, it doesn’t matter because compared to
Hamilton on credit (penalties and behaviour) Massa was superior. I knew
somehow Hamilton wouldn’t earn anything at Brazil, yet again. He
finished off the podium after such a strong win in China. What’s that
all about. Not exactly a glorious way to win a championship was it. The
images of both Ferrari and McLaren garages celebrating was terrible and
Massa crying on the team radio was heart breaking. Massa tasted a part
of what Kimi felt at Spa. Going to heaven and falling back down to hell
in a matter of seconds. But in a way, it was balanced between the two
sides. It was extremely close between Massa and Hamilton all year. Both
had their fair share of rubbish races and mistakes. So whoever would
have won, deserved to because it’s about the points at the end of the
day. The championship is based on points only, nothing more. It was
good that Massa had Kimi and Alonso beside him on the podium, it was
his moment no matter if Hamilton became the champion.

Away
from all the madness and spotlight shared between Hamilton and Massa, I
saw Kimi. My champion. Always was and always will be. I felt relieved
for Kimi that he was just witnessing the tears, the smiles, the mixed
emotions. He’s had enough of those already this year. The out-going
world champion was on the podium though, as I said before, and that’s
the best thing I can take from this ending. He was there to take reward
again for: being the champion here last year, for bringing Ferrari back
into the constructors lead at Fuji, for giving the team full support in
the last two races when needed, and most of all being there for Massa.
I know some of you aren’t keen on the Brazilian, but he did give Kimi
his win last year for the championship. But Massa cried as he parked in
parc ferme. He had no one there apart from Stefano Domenicali, physically near him, to say "it’s
alright, you did a great job, well done". Backstage of the podium,
words must have been exchanged between Alonso, Kimi and Massa, but
facing the fans and all the cameras with the heavy dark clouds above
you isn’t easy. So Kimi rested his hand on Massa’s shoulder during the
anthems with some words. The support Massa received there was amazing and no doubt it
helped him to compose himself better in the press conference. He spoke
really well and I have much more respect for Massa after this. You must watch all the videos below including the full podium, and a bonus season ending clip from RTL!

ITV
were shockingly calm as their British hero took the title. James Allen
sounded actually disappointed. Martin Brundle was the one having a
heart attack, shouting like a kid like we’d expected Allen to when
Button won his first race. Perhaps Allen was feeling sad that this was
ITV’s final race and his chance to commentate. I gladly waved goodbye.
The press mobbed Hamilton as he tried to stick his steering wheel back
onto his car in parc ferme. He clearly couldn’t concentrate. I began to
worry. He tried to get back to the McLaren garage with his father
Anthony Hamilton acting like his bodyguard. Clearly, Hamilton is still
a young kid. He’s a full grown man but he’s not independant. I do find
it sweet though, specially his close relationship with his younger
brother. Sometimes family is all you need through anything. But I do
fear that Hamilton needs to find his own feet. His reaction to ITV when
reporter Ted Kravitz found him walking back, shocked me. The media are
like parasites as I’ve always said, and I felt really bad for Hamilton
in this moment. Okay, we could always expect the madness around this
issue, Hamilton himself should have expected it; he loves the fame,
money, his rap-star friends and his Pussycat Doll girlfriend. And okay,
the media should have given him some room to walk. At least. That was
verging on chaos. But ITV have been there all the way, supporting
Hamilton and making us F1 fans sick with it. They are the reason
actually for his popularity rise in the UK. We’ve had to put up with
their biased rubbish for two years, yet Hamilton couldn’t have the
patience and decency to be happy with ITV and say something. His father
said something along the lines of "give the kid some space, he needs a
drink" and Hamilton himself , though smiling at first, didn’t want to
talk at Kravtiz persisted. I even saw Hamilton give quite a hard thump
with his hand/fist on either his father or Kravitiz and his face wasn’t
pleasant. I’m not exagerrating anything here, I’m just describing what
I saw on television. I knew Hamilton was arrogant but this was just
rude. Thank goodness his God didn’t want his arrogant face on the
podium eh?

Back
to the main story; Hamilton, on becoming the youngest world champion in
Formula One’s history. Wow. Credit to the dude and McLaren. The team
call him special. Perhaps. He’s really quick and he’s good at reaching
targets well and doing more. That’s a talent. But I don’t agree that
he’s special (obviously, Kimi’s the special one of the lot to me!)
because regardless of his position, he joined one of the best racing
teams in Formula One for his debut. His car was immediately competitive
despite such a lacklustre and winless season in 2006 (where Kimi
out-performed the car). He has not suffered a single reliability
problem. Kovalainen took the first blow of reliability in the previous
race. That’s not Hamilton’s fault, that he’s got such an awesome car.
The team McLaren have done an amazing job with the car, and for me,
it’s their victory as much as it’s Hamilton. Yet, McLaren still failed
to win the constructors despite rival Ferrari having
uncharacteristically poor reliability all season through, as well as
management control hiccups. So, in my opinion Ferrari lost the driver’s
title and McLaren collected the pieces, notably at Singapore. And
Hamilton fans can think whatever they like about this because
presumably most of them don’t have a clue how McLaren were before
Hamilton came along.

After
following McLaren since Kimi’s career in F1 started, I always had a
soft spot for them. I cheered for them like mad, a few years ago
believe it or not. The past two years though, they were the opponent.
Kimi spent 5 years in McLaren, hoping to become world champion there
after just one year in F1 with Sauber. McLaren took on Kimi at first
sight buying out his Sauber contract, because they also knew he was
special. The mission failed in the end. McLaren were competitive, the
only continuous threat to Ferrari, but they were also in a rough patch
with their reliability records at their worst. Everyone made a huge
roar when Hamilton scored a 3rd place, a podium, in his first ever F1
race. Nevermind the considerable amount of experience he had in GP2 and
earlier series. Kimi on the other hand had only 23 professional races
to his name when he came to F1. After one year at Sauber, he scored a
3rd place in his first race with McLaren too. So, with less experience
and in an average car at Sauber, Kimi did just as good, if not better.
The following races after his first podium included 5 DNFs, that’s the
kind of poor reliability and struggle that defines a driver and
Hamilton hasn’t experienced any of this. Then in remaining races where
the car was okay, Kimi scored top 4 finishes in 2002, missing out on
his first win at France due to oil on the track.

Kimi
and Alonso were actually the first ‘young guns’ setting off this early
trend in F1. The following years, F1 brought in younger talents, thanks
mainly to the increase of financial interest and therefore sponsorship
for drivers. McLaren aided Hamilton in all his career before F1, so
obviously him winning the title as soon as possible is paying the
favour back. It is now, that he faces the true challenge of F1. Infact,
he’s completely missed the challenges of F1 as Kimi, Button, and Alonso
have, and jumped straight to the top. He’s still got plenty to learn
and my opinion of Hamilton hasn’t changed: he’s a damn quick fellow but
so are five others F1 drivers at least in his range if not better,
they’re just in different cars. The difference between a special driver
and a normal quick driver is what they can do with the differences in
their car. Hamilton has maintained a 100% reliable car, suited to his
style since the very beginning and also with a team 100% behind him and
only him. McLaren disregarded their interest for the constructors title
a few races back, despite always using Kovalainen for the ‘teams’ goal.
Obviously, this means the teams goal always was to get Hamilton the
driver’s world championship. What they were financing for 10 years was
for Hamilton’s success. And they only got it by one point. They’re
going to have to try much harder next year if they think he can do it
again. I seriously doubt it. Good luck, Mr Youngest F1 World Champion!

Now
tha 2008 is done and dusted, we can finally turn the page and close
this chapter and look forward to 2009. It was a year full of
excitement, controversy, joy, sadness, compromise, triumph and defeat.
Kimi’s title defense didn’t go to plan but we are better prepared for
payback time. I want to say a big thank you all of you who have made
2008 a much more enjoyable experience for me, as a webmaster and most
importantly, as a fellow fan. I also want to say thanks to Kimi for
just being Kimi. I love you very much and you always will be my
passion, my motivation, my hero. I can’t wait to rock another year with
you and your fans.

| Videos
Full Post-Race Press Conference

Capture: JJ | Duration: 12.33mins | Size: 93.3MB
Download via Mediafire

Parc Ferme & Podium

Credit: Wenny | Duration: 8.10mins | Size: 125MB
Download via Megaupload

Race Start

Capture: Echti | Duration: 1.33mins | Size: 17.5MB
Download via Mediafire

Massa’s Last Lap Onboard (and his reaction to the news)

Capture: Toto87 | Duration: 1.37mins | Size: 14.8MB
Download via Mediafire

Hamilton’s Last Lap Onboard

Capture: Toto87 | Duration: 1.14mins | Size: 11.2MB
Download via Mediafire

Dramatic Race Finish (World Wide Feed)

Capture: Echti | Duration: 4.26mins | Size: 53.8MB
Download via Mediafire

Champion Hamilton’s Team Radio and Massa’s Radio

Capture: Echti | Duration: 0.52mins | Size: 9MB
Download via Mediafire

Congratulations to Hamilton

Capture: Echti | Duration: 2.53mins | Size: 33MB
Download via Mediafire

Bonus Video: RTL’s Season Ending Clip
Capture: Patrick055 | Duration: 3.40mins | Size: 72.9MB
Download via Mediafire