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Just when it looked like Lewis Hamilton was about to see another F1 championship slip away from him, the McLaren driver was saved by the Glock - Toyota driver Timo Glock.
Glock was in fifth place toward the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the position needed by Hamilton to win the 2008 title. Glock's decision not to change tyres when rain began to fall at the Interlagos race track, put him ahead of Hamilton.
Hamilton, the first British F1 champion since Damon Hill in 1996, was sixth until the final turn, but Glock's car was still on dry tyres and had to slow down in the pouring rain, allowing Hamilton to make his move.
"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, and I lost positions right at the end of the lap."
Sunday's F1 Grand Prix was won by Ferrari's home hero Felipe Massa who had to either win the race and hope Hamilton finished sixth or lower, or come in second and hope the McLaren driver finished eighth or lower.
Last year, Hamilton lost the title by one point to Massa's teammate, Kimi Raikkonen. He had led the Finn by seven points heading to Brazil, but a mistake while attempting to make a pass on the first lap, and a gear box problem, led to a seventh-place finish and second overall.
Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso had passed Hamilton for fifth place on Sunday with only two laps to go before finishing fourth.
"I was definitely not aware that I might be influencing the world championship," Vettel said. "It was hard to know who was a back marker or not and as it got darker and darker it was even difficult to know who the cars in front of you were."
CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP: While Hamilton scraped through to win this year's F1 title, his McLaren team did not fare as well, finishing second in the constructors' championship.
McLaren, which has not won the constructors' title since 1998, trailed Ferrari by 11 points coming into the Brazilian race and ended the season with 151 points to the Italian team's 172.
Ferrari's Massa won the race in front of his home crowd and teammate Raikkonen was third. Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen finished seventh.
The Sauber team took third place in the championship with 135 points, while Renault was in fourth with 80.
"Once again, we have won the constructors' title, which is in itself a great achievement," said Ferrari team manager Luca Baldisserri. "It confirms that this team, considering all the changes it has undergone in the last two years, is still the best."
It was Ferrari's eighth constructors' title in the last 10 seasons and its fifth without winning the drivers' championship. Overall, Ferrari has won 15 titles against Mclaren's eight.
COULTHARD'S FAREWELL: It wasn't the kind of finale Red Bull's David Coulthard had envisioned for his F1 career-ending race.
Coulthard who retired after 15 years as a F1 driver at the season-ending Brazilian GP, had said he wanted to leave the circuit "hopefully at the checkered flag and in the points".
Sadly, he ended far away from the flag with no points whatsoever after being forced out of the race by Williams' Kazuki Nakajima before the end of the first lap. "I'm pretty gutted, it's not how I wanted to end my career," Coulthard said. "I can't complain though, I've had a good career."
SENNA AGAIN: Bruno Senna, nephew of the late three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, said on Sunday he is close to signing a deal to be part of Formula One next season.
Senna said he is negotiating with both Toro Rosso and Honda to either race the full season next year or to be a test driver. "I will test with both teams," he said. "It's going to depend on these tests before we can talk about something official."
Senna, runner-up in the lower-tier GP2 racing series this season, said he will likely face extra pressure because of his name. "Every Brazilian always faces pressure, even more by being the nephew of Ayrton," he said.
Countryman Nelson Piquet Jr, son of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet, struggled in his debut season with Renault this year and is in danger of losing his spot on
the team next year. Piquet Jr dropped out of the race before completing a lap on Sunday.
RESULTS AND STANDINGS
1. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1hr 34m 11.435s
2. Fernando Alonso Renault 1:34.24.733
3. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:34.27.670
4. Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso 1:34.49.446
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:34.50.342
6. Timo Glock Toyota 1:34.55.803
7. Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1:35.06.509.
8. Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:35.19.898
9. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:35.31,101
10. Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:34.22.761
11. Robert Kubica BMW 1:34.48.549
12. Nico Rosberg Williams 1:34.51.339
13. Jenson Button Honda 1:35.01.806
14. Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 1:35.05.349
15. Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:35.20.589
16. Adrian Sutil Force India 1:34.31.247
17. Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:34.42.834
18. Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1:35.09.395
Not Classified
19. Nelson Piquet Jr Renault
20. David Coulthard Red Bull
Fastest Lap: Felipe Massa 1 minute, 13.736 on lap 36.
Drivers' Championship
1. Hamilton 98 points
2. Massa 97
3. Raikkonen 75
4. Kubica 75
5. Alonso 61
6. Heidfeld 60
7. Kovalainen 53
8. Vettel 35
9. Trulli 31
10. Glock 25
Constructors' Championship
1. Ferrari 172 points
2. McLaren 151
3. BMW 135
4. Renault 80
5. Toyota 56
6. Toro Rosso 39
7. Red Bull 29
8. Williams 26
9. Honda 14
WHAT THEY SAY...
Lewis Hamilton
The most dramatic race of my whole life. It's pretty much impossible to put this into words: I'm still speechless. It's been such a long journey, but I've always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans. We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I'm so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone.
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 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 - 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.
Heikki Kovalainen
The most important news today is that Lewis pulled it off; he did exactly what he had to do to win the championship. Everybody in the team deserves this title, particularly after what happened here one year ago, but the guys stayed focused throughout so congratulations to everyone. I'll now work even harder over the winter and hopefully next year's world champion will be on the other side of our garage!
Ron Dennis
Well, that was a really tough race. We never pushed hard, we never did anything silly, but of course the late rain made things extraordinarily tense. Even so, even when Sebastian got past Lewis, we never gave up, and Lewis never gave up, because we knew that Timo was on dry tyres. Lewis took his chance brilliantly, and the result was one of the most thrilling finishes in sporting history. I'm so proud of Lewis; I'm so proud of the team; everyone - every single one of them - did an absolutely fantastic job. Thanks, also, to Mercedes-Benz and all our partners - and, last but not least, congratulations to Ferrari on winning the constructors' championship.
KEY MOMENTS
In a dramatic Brazilian GP with rain before the start and rain shortly before the finish, Lewis Hamilton decided the title battle at the last corner of the 71-lap race, when he overtook Timo Glock to secure fifth place which was enough to win the title. At the age of 23 years, 10 months and 26 days, Lewis is the youngest champion in Formula 1 history. It is the third drivers' title for McLaren Mercedes after Mika HŠkkinen winning the championship in 1998 and 1999.
The start: Lewis had qualified fourth and Heikki was fifth on the grid. Because it rained heavily shortly before the start, race control delayed the begining of the formation lap by 10 minutes so that the teams could change tyres. At the start, Lewis maintained fourth place whilst Heikki dropped to seventh on the opening lap. Following an accident of David Coulthard (Red Bull) and Nelson Piquet (Renault), the Safety Car was deployed.
The race, lap 5: Re-start. Lewis remained fourth behind Massa, Trulli and RŠikkšnen.
Lap 9: Vettel and Alonso came to the pits; Heikki moved up to fourth, but pitted the following lap (4.5sec) and dropped to 12th.
Lap 11: Lewis came in for fuel and dry tyres (7.5sec); he resumed in seventh place.
Lap 13: Lewis overtook Trulli and moved up to sixth place.
Lap 18: At the beginning of this lap, Lewis outbraked Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) and was fifth; Heikki was 12th.
Lap 25: Heikki was ninth now, but got stuck behind Fisichella and Trulli.
Lap 27: Heikki overtook Trulli and then Fisichella and improved up to seventh.
Lap 28: Following Vettel's pit stop Lewis moved up to fourth.
Lap 36: Glock pitted and Heikki was now sixth.
Lap 38: Another pit stop by Massa, Lewis moved up to third 14.8sec behind Alonso and RŠikkšnen.
Lap 40: Lewis came in for the second time (8.9sec) and rejoined the race in sixth position behind Heikki who pitted two laps later (8.8sec). The Finn resumed in eighth place.
Lap 51: Third pit stop by Vettel; Lewis was fourth and Heikki sixth.
Lap 65: More rain. Heikki came in for intermediates (7.0sec). Lewis pitted one lap later (6.1sec).
Lap 67: Lewis was now fifth and Heikki eighth.
Lap 69: Vettel overtook Lewis who dropped to sixth.
Finish (71 laps): Lewis passed Glock at the final corner and moved up to fifth which was enough to secure the title. Heikki came home seventh.
